Stop jet-skis harming wildlife, says BBC star

JET-SKIERS could be prosecuted for endangering wildlife under laws being looked at by the Department for Transport.

Legislation is being reviewed after a BBC nature presenter said they are scaring birds and sealife – and there is little police can do because jet-skis have no registration plates to identify them.

Iolo Williams, who presents Springwatch, said some jet-skiers ride their machines right at flocks to watch them scatter – and even kill them. Williams said that while filming near Anglesey last week he ‘watched five jet-skiers tear through’ auks, guillemots and razorbills on the water. He had witnessed a similar incident at a reserve in North Wales and added that cases were ‘commonplace right around the coast’.

The Department for Transport said that it ‘intends to consult on new national legislation to further strengthen existing enforcement powers and ensure that, where wilful or negligent misuse occurs, riders can be prosecuted’.