The Essex Police Marine Unit has pledged to undertake more patrols in anti-social behaviour hotspots – including around the Colne and Blackwater estuaries – as summer approaches.

Under the banner of Operation Wave-Breaker, the Marine Unit says its regular patrols helped to halve incidents of anti-social behaviour by personal watercraft (PWC or jetski) and other water users around the coast of Essexin 2023.

Sergeant Alex Southgate said there are very few accidents involving personal watercraft in Essex and “we want to keep it that way”.

“Last year, despite a significant increase in users, we had only 37 reports of anti-social behaviour on the water involving personal watercraft, compared with 74 during the spring and summer of 2022,” he added.

Marine officers patrol on Essex Police-liveried PWCs or in Sentinel, a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. Last season, they stopped and spoke to 165 personal watercraft riders about their behaviour on the water, resulting in 94 verbal warnings.

Nine riders were reported for court action after speeding on the rivers Blackwater and Colne, contravening council byelaws. Officers also issued the first two fixed penalty notices in the country for infringements of the water-based public spaces protection order (PSPO) in Southend.

Said Sgt Southgate: “We work with local councils, which are responsible for the byelaws, to prosecute those offenders whose behaviour has put themselves or others at risk. Ultimately, we want everyone who visits the Essex coast to stay safe so they can enjoy the many wonderful attractions it has to offer.”