Swim rafts will not be replaced after legal advice

Swimming platforms that were removed from a popular beach amid safety concerns will not be reinstated, despite a campaign to save them.

The pontoons anchored off Weymouth beach in Dorset were removed last year because they created a "blind spot" for lifeguards.

Thousands of people signed a petition calling for them to be put back but Weymouth Town Council said its decision had been backed by legal advice.

The council said a cross-party group would instead commission research into providing a safe raft or alternative facility in time for the 2027 season.

More than 4,600 people signed a petition, started by resident Jade Radcliffe, who said the pontoons at Greenhill had provided "safe recreation and cherished experiences" for more than 40 years.

The town council said it had been faced with "an agonising decision and not one that has been taken lightly".

It said a legal firm specialising in health and safety had reviewed documents from the RNLI, insurance company, committees and other correspondence and found they showed "clear and compelling evidence of a significant risk to the public".

A spokesperson said: "Effective mitigation measures for the rafts are not realistically deliverable in practice.

"No operator is willing or able to provide the necessary supervision or operational support, and key risks remain at the highest level.

"This position is compounded by the withdrawal of insurance cover for the rafts, which cannot currently be reinstated."

It said removal of the rafts was "the only option which can properly be regarded as legally and operationally defensible".

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