Bournemouth beachgoers react to the absence of deckchairs

Axing the chairs for the whole year could reportedly come at a loss of £200,000, said senior Liberal Democrat councillor Vikki Slade.

She labelled the decision, which she understood to be in large part due to fears of the furniture being weapons, as 'a joke'.

No beach deckchair hire this summer due to 'disorder fears'

Beachgoers near Bournemouth Pier this week were also surprised at the move.

Christine Holloway, 58, questioned how they could be used anti-socially.

She said: “I just can't imagine how they would be used as a weapon.

“I just don't understand that, somebody would have to be fairly violent to tear one apart.

“We’re patrolled so it would only be evenings and they’re all should be stacked up anyway.”

Ms Holloway was out for a beach day with her friend Sam England, who was visiting from Basingstoke. She believed they should be around to use.

The 47-year-old said: “I think you should have deckchairs because it is part and parcel of the seaside experience.

“You’ve got the older ones that like the deckchairs.

“As long as they’re put away and maintained in a proper way then they should definitely have deckchairs out.”

Like her friend, Ms England could not see how they could be used in a violent manner.

She added: “I could not see them used as a weapon not at all unless they’re not put away at the end of the night and you get people drinking coming down and using them.

“Or if someone gets angry but the last thing I’d have thought is for them to pick up a deck chair and whack someone.”

Tony Feltham, 55, was also perplexed as to when they could be used in an antisocial way

Speaking with the Echo he said: “When is the violence likely to happen?

"Policing is for that and during the day there’s families and children so it's not going to be a problem then.

“It will presumably be at night time when they are put in a pile or put away.

“If they're in a pile then violence could happen any when at night and anything could be used as a weapon.”

The Wimborne resident added that “deckchairs on the seafront are the classic view of seaside holidays all about”.

Ben Waugh, who works at at bicycle rental shop Front Bike Hire, said gets inundated with requests about deckchairs.

The 35-year-old said: “We get asked for deck chairs 10 or 20 times a day, so people need them.

“People end up having to go into town and buy them wherever, which doesn’t look very good that a seaside resort isn’t providing deck chairs and umbrellas.”

Mr Waugh could not see them being used as a weapon even in light of the violence last summer because “that was not deckchair related".

He added: “I assumed it was to do with Covid-19, they should at least let some independent company come and do it anyway.”

On holiday from Chesterfield, Darren Coat, said not having the deckchairs is “very restrictive".

He said: “It gives people a lack of opportunity to relax and the only other option they've got is to bring their own.

“I think people should be given the choice, like with many other things.

“When you think of a stereotypical seaside holiday you think deckchairs and striped bikini suits.”

Councillor Mohan Iyengar, BCP Council portfolio holder for tourism, leisure and culture, said: “It’s true we don’t have deckchair hire available this summer. It didn’t happen last summer either with the previous council leadership. Deckchairs are a high-touch item and for Covid-19 safety we took the decision in our multi-agency planning for summer’21 to keep that stance. The plans were discussed with all councillors at the start of summer’21 in two all-member sessions and at the cross-party Overview and Scrutiny Board – and no comment or challenge was made.

Deckchair absence: BCP Council tourism lead issues response

“More people of course are now vaccinated in 2021 but the risk is still there. We’ve had especially large numbers of visitors this summer, and the weekends of August Bank Holiday and the Air Festival may be the highest yet. Staff have rightly been deployed in more beach cleaning, litter picking, toilet cleansing and as general help-points for people rather than in handling deckchairs. A smaller benefit has been that deckchairs not abandoned on the prom or beach in the busiest spots have helped ease congestion.

“We have seen some comments about the loss of income attributed to deckchairs. This needs to be put into context against the fact that deckchairs have always been marginal in terms of generating a financial surplus, alongside the fact that other seafront facilities such as catering are currently trading extremely well and will more than make up for any deficit we have in not hiring out our deckchairs again this year."