Hope for return of swim rafts after subsidy offer

Campaigners are hoping for a return of two swimming rafts that were removed by a seaside council in 2025.

The platforms were taken from the sea off Greenhill beach by Weymouth Town Council, which said they could not be insured because they were outside the new operation zones of lifeguards.

However, cafe owner Iain Turnbull has offered to take over the insurance, after reporting a steep fall in trade from beachgoers.

Campaigner and former mayor Christine James said rafts had been a local attraction for more than 70 years.

She told the BBC: "What makes them dangerous now, when they haven't been dangerous in the last 70 years?

"Nobody has said what those risks are. There's a safety aspect, because for paddleboarders it's somewhere to go if they are a bit worried.

"Also enjoyment - are we not allowed to have enjoyment any more?"

Turnbull, who runs Jurassic Rocks Cafe, said: "Loads of customers, locals, tourists were dismayed after they came last year and [the rafts] weren't there any more.

"It made my part of the beach desolate. I looked at sales for August - they were down £15,000 to £20,000."

Turnbull said on Tuesday he had been quoted £2,950 for liability cover and the council was contacting his insurer "as we speak" to check the details.

In private correspondence seen by the BBC, town clerk Jane Biscombe said the council had been unable to find insurance for the rafts.

She said the authority also had a "liability or duty owed which is a separate issue".

Biscombe added: "This was never about making savings, had the RNLI not formally contacted us to say they would no longer cover the rafts they would be out now."

In a formal statement, the town council told the BBC: "We have received an email from Alderman Christine James and we will review any new proposals in conjunction with the legal advice we have already received."

More than 4,700 people have signed an online petition calling for the rafts to be reinstated.