ROCKLEY Park officials have assured visitors and residents that they are working with various organisations in the wake of Callum Baker-Osborne’s death.

Park operators control the beach area, under lease from BCP Council, where various swimming incidents have been recorded recently.

Residents and visitors are calling for improved safety at the beach, with many taking to social media to share their experiences after the 18-year-old’s death.

A spokesperson from Haven, who operate Rockley Park in Poole, emphasised that officials are doing “everything they can” to prevent “anything like this from happening again”.

They said: “Following the incident, a review was initiated with input from all organisations who have involvement in water and land issues in the local area. This process is ongoing and is designed to ensure all parties – guests, beach users as well as local businesses and organisations – have the knowledge needed to help maintain water safety into the future.”

The spokesperson also said that each organisation has different responsibilities regarding the safety aspects of the beach and the water.

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "As with all water safety issues, the council continually discusses these with partners and agrees actions based around risk in areas for which it is responsible.”

Residents Pauline Ferrick-Squibb and Hayley Read told the Daily Echo that “someone has to take responsibility” after they experienced a “shocking” incident three years ago.

In July 2018, friends Pauline and Hayley took their children to the Rockley Point area of Rockley Park beach. Both women said that they were “stunned” by how quickly the tides began to pull their children away from the shallows.

Hayley said: “That afternoon we were sat on the beach side by side with our children less than 10 feet away in the water.

“The three girls were between seven and eight years old at the time. One minute they were paddling in shin deep water. The next minute in a heartbeat, two of our girls were taken right over to the pebble groyne. My daughter held on to the groyne and shouted for help.

“Pauline and I went in to grab our girls, seconds passed and they were out of their depth being taken towards the nearby Black Bridge. If they’d gone past the groyne, they would have been taken to the bridge.”

Bournemouth Echo: Black Bridge at Rockley Point. Credit: BNPSBlack Bridge at Rockley Point. Credit: BNPS

Hayley managed to grab hold of her daughter, while Pauline had an arm on her child. Luckily, as Hayley was preparing to order her daughter to climb up the metal railing on the groyne, the tide pushed the child towards her mother who was then able to lead her to safety.

Pauline said: “When we got out, we were shaking. People were totally oblivious to what was happening, you can’t see the danger until you’re in it.

“We got caught out, there is certainly an illusion of safety on that beach. It’s advertised as a great holiday location, and it is a beautiful spot within a lovely park with nice cafes and all sorts. But something needs to be done about the water.”

The two 51-year-olds stated that there were two other incidents that same day where children began to fall foul to the tides, however, were quickly helped by Pauline, Hayley, and their partners.

They added that they believed the strong tides are exacerbated by man-made structures, such as the Black Bridge support beams.

Pauline stated that she would not return to the area for fear of witnessing a similar incident, however did contact both the council and Rockley Park authorities.

An RNLI spokesperson said: "We would urge people to always exercise caution and seek as much local information as possible before entering the water. We would also advise anyone swimming to visit a lifeguarded beach where there are trained professionals to help keep you safe and will be on hand if something goes wrong, in or out of the water.

"Follow safety advice to protect yourself and your loved ones."