7:00am Friday 7th August 2009
By James Morton
AN OVER-enthusiastic swimmer is proving a headache for Portland coastguards.
The middle-aged man regularly swims across the entrance to Poole Harbour, apparently with scant regard for the dozens of boats and other sea vehicles ploughing through the channel each day.
Coastguards have been trying to warn the man about the dangers of his choice of swimming location, but so far to no avail.
On Wednesday morning, the man greeted officials aboard the harbour safety boat with a volley of abuse after they were sent out to reason with him.
Though Portland coastguard called for police back up, the man swam ashore and rode away from the scene on his bike before they could arrive.
While the man is entitled to swim anywhere around the coastline, coastguards are growing increasingly frustrated with his seemingly blasé attitude to sea safety.
A spokesman for Portland coastguards said: “He happily swims across minding his own business and has been doing it for quite some time.
“There is obviously risk involved with the amount of traffic coming in and out of the harbour at any time.
“As short as the entrance is, there is also the danger of waves, strong tides and rips.”
The spokesman said the man had begun to become quite abusive to officials in recent times.
He added: “If the gentleman chooses to swim across the harbour entrance we can’t do anything about it.
“He is quite at liberty to do so but there are far better places to swim.
“We don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but would just urge people to bear in mind their own safety and that of others.”
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