A JET ski rider who crashed into a police boat after losing control of his vehicle has been fined £200.
The rider twice came into contact with an Essex Police Police Marine Unit boat.
Officers had flagged down the rider after spotting him driving at three times the speed limit on the water.
Approaching the police boat at a slow speed, the jet ski rider came scraped the side of the boat, breaking his own wing mirror.
Video footage then shows him turn around, to try and approach the boat again, but this time, while officers are calling for him to “press stop” ends up going nose first into the boat while shouting back: “Where’s stop?”
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An exasperate marine policeman shoots back: “Mate, if you’re on that and you’re saying to me, ‘Where’s stop?’ That’s worrying me!”
An Essex Police spokesman said: “Our Marine Unit wants to ensure everyone using our waterways and the sea around our coast does so safely.
“One of the problems which concerns regular water-users is people speeding or using vessels with which they are not familiar, such as personal watercraft (PWC) and speedboats.”
Sergeant Alex Southgate added: “We want to keep people safe and highlight to occasional users the twin dangers of inexperience and of using personal watercraft and boats in an anti-social manner, which can both lead to accidents.
“If you are lending a PWC or a speedboat to a friend or relative, or you are buying one for the first time, make sure that person has been trained to use it safely before they go out on the water on their own.”
Mr Southgate stressed officers are not out to spoil anyone’s fun but says speed limits are there for a reason.
“The speed limits are set by local harbourmasters to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the water,” he said.
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