Ashby Ville Nature Reserve will not have a tougher swimming ban than the rest of North Lincolnshire as a warning was issued to avoid taking a ‘festive dip’ at the pond.
Last year, North Lincolnshire Council ran a consultation on a specific stricter ban on open water swimming at Ashby Ville. It followed two serious incidents in 2021-22, where a man had to be airlifted to hospital and a teenager died after getting into difficulty in the nature reserve’s pond.
The council even put out a release titled, “Open water swimming ban to be strengthened at Ashby Ville”. It had been unclear since on whether it would be followed through. When the authority published the renewed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) regime for North Lincolnshire, this indicated the same open water PSPO as before would apply for everywhere. This has since been confirmed.
The renewed PSPO bans any entry into open water, for the purposes of diving, jumping, paddling or swimming, by any person within North Lincolnshire. Unless, that is, as part of a recognised open water swimming club, and where permission of the landowner has been obtained.
Council leader Cllr Rob Waltham has issued a warning to anyone considering a dip over the Christmas break at Ashby Ville, and said the local authority has the powers to act against perpetrators. “While many people enjoy a festive dip, this should only be done where it is safe and supervised.
“Ponds like Ashby Ville are not safe for swimming at any time of the year and people are risking their own life, the lives of the emergency services, and could face a fine.” It is a £100 fine for those who break the prohibition.
“We have the powers to enforce against perpetrators and we will use them. Ashby Ville Pond is not safe, people have died, do not take the risk.”
The October report on the renewed PSPO regime stressed on the open water restriction, “we will have a dedicated focus around Ashby Ville.” 202 people, 80 per cent of those who participated in the consultation last year, were in support of retaining the existing open water swimming prohibition across North Lincolnshire.
The 2021 to 2024 open water PSPO made specific reference to the ban being only enforceable if a person has already been requested by an “authorised person” – police or council officer – to stop being in the water. The new PSPO does not have such specific wording, but it is understood to be the same enforcement as before. North Lincolnshire Council’s proposed specific Ashby Ville ban had had a blanket ban wording, to see fines imposed without a request first to get out of the water.
Ashby Lakeside ward residents are strongly in favour of efforts to make Ashby Ville safer, Cllr Max Bell said, adding he and Cllr Judith Matthews had campaigned for years to push the council to take action.
“Ashby Ville is unlike any other local open water. It is a former quarry, is extremely deep, quickly brings on hyperthermia, and even has a car stuck at the bottom. We are therefore strongly in favour of a swimming ban at Ashby Ville, and will keep up the pressure on this.”
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
