Bexhill beach could be left without lifeguards this year

From today (Wednesday, May 13), people in England are now allowed to travel to the coast and use the water, while many people may choose to participate in water-based activities such as swimming, kayaking, surfing, boating and angling.

However, as lifeguards are not eligible for furlough payments – in which the government covers 80 per cent of wages – there are currently no RNLI lifeguards on beaches as a number of them are engaged in other employment.

RNLI lifeguards normally patrol the beaches in Camber, Hastings and Bexhill during the summer months (from April to October).

Bexhill beach was due to be patrolled by lifeguards between July 11 and September 6.

Up until now, the beaches have remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but they were reopened for visitors today.

In a statement, the RNLI said: “The RNLI normally patrols over 240 beaches around the coast, however, rollout of the normal seasonal lifeguard service was paused at the end of March due to the measures put in place by the UK Government to control the spread of Coronavirus.

“The charity is currently working with local authorities and beach owners in the hope that it can provide a lifeguard service on around 30 per cent of the beaches the charity usually covers this summer. Re-establishing this infrastructure and distributing equipment to beaches will take time. We must also make sure that conditions are safe for our lifeguards to provide an effective service – our priority remains to be the safety of our people and the public.”

There are concerns that people will flock to the beaches as the weather improves into the summer.

Particular concern relates to Camber Sands where lifeguards were introduced to patrol the beaches after seven people died there in 2016. The beach draws up to 25,000 visitors during the height of summer.

A group of 600 individuals have united behind the campaign Return to Shore which is petitioning the government to include lifeguards, lifeguard supervisors and lifeguard operational assistants in the job retention scheme.

The UK Lifeguard Solidarity Group, who are behind the petition – which has been backed by the RNLI – said: “Beach Lifeguards provide essential, lifesaving cover to coastal communities and visitors around our shores. We are asking the public to sign this petition to help us #RETURNTOSHORE – ensuring the beaches around our coastlines are safely patrolled once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

“The Government Treasury have formally recognised our lifesaving role as being ‘crucial’ but have not yet made any provisions to protect it.

“The majority of seasonal beach lifeguards are not eligible for the Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme and are therefore seeking / engaged in other employment. This includes a significant number of highly qualified and experienced lifeguards who had started employment but cannot be furloughed due to the restrictive cut-off date.

“Our safety critical role will need to resume immediately once restrictions are lifted in order to prevent loss of life. This is the sole purpose of furlough, to allow essential services to resume swiftly once the restrictions lift.

“When beaches are inevitably reopened and travel restrictions loosened - domestic tourism will likely see a huge upsurge in demand. Busy beaches will have limited or no lifeguard provision at all. This could be magnified by the loss of experienced guards and the difficulty in recruiting new guards in a short time-frame.”