Friday 28 May 2021

A Classic 'Something Must Be Done' Story...

A heartbroken son described watching CCTV of his father's final moments as he went into the sea to try and save the family dog - and called for action to prevent further tragedies on the beach.

What sort of action? It's a tragic story, it's true, but it's a genuinely foreseeable one.

The 69-year-old went into the water to try and help Connie at Hove beach but had not realised that the pebbles had formed a "very sudden drop".

The son is understandably desperate not to face the truth that poor decision-making lead to this tragedy: 

“The thing that shocked me the most was that in 55 seconds, a man that gave so much to business, so much to academia, goes just like that."

Being 'academic' is no guarantee of common sense. It never has been. 

At his inquest, senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley spoke of the “huge shelf” which “does catch people out”.
However, she noted that even without this drop, the state of the water that day would have made it hard to survive.

Walking a dog near the sea in wild weather - and then going in the sea after it when it seems in trouble - is really only going to end one way. It has so often, after all. 

Not that there isn't always some unscrupulous chancer looking to prey on someone's suffering to gain publicity for themselves... 

Conservative councillor for Wish Ward, Robert Nemeth, is helping Robbie find a way of tackling the risks of pebbles shelves.
He said: “It’s absolutely essential that a solution is found to what is clearly a huge problem.
"I’m going to be spending a lot of time over the coming months working with the council and other linked parties to offer answers.
"It’s clear that change must take place to avoid any further tragedy taking place.”

I bet your constituents are delighted to learn you're going to be spending time trying - fruitlessly - to cheat Darwin rather than attending to their concerns, that you may actually be able to influence, Mr Nemeth. 

As the council point out, they've done everything they can:

“We already have in place a considerable number of beach safety signs. They have been designed in line with the RNLI’s beach safety sign guidelines, which are a nationally recognised standard for beach operators.
“During rough weather we also put up additional mobile warning banners. “We are currently reviewing our beach safety signage to consider possible further options for ensuring public safety.
“However, we would first and foremost always appeal to residents and visitors not to go in the sea during difficult weather conditions.”

Quite.  

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