MPs HAVE thrown their weight behind a ban on jet skis off Brighton beach after video emerged showing rogue riders causing havoc.

Lifeguards captured footage of four jet skis ploughing through a marked-off bathing area in Rottingdean, following tip-offs from the public.

Another video shows jet skis being ridden through a no-go zone beside the Palace Pier.

Brighton’s lifeguards deal with hundreds of jet skis violating coastal rules and putting swimmers in danger each year, and riders, some speeding at more than 50mph, often escape punishment.

But a sweeping exclusion zone proposed by swimmers has now received backing from Brighton’s three MPs.

The zone, stretching 1km out to sea and running from Brighton Marina to Hove Lagoon, has been endorsed by Labour MP Peter Kyle, while the Greens’ Caroline Lucas and Labour’s Lloyd Russell-Moyle both expressed support for reviewing current boundaries and clamping down on jet skis.

The proposal was launched in a petition by swimming coach Patrick Gilmartin and has attracted more than 500 signatures since July 3.

Mr Gilmartin said: “It’s terrifying being in the water with jet skis about. You’re so vulnerable and low down as a sea swimmer.

“You often don’t see them, you just hear the hum. It automatically puts the fear of God in you when you hear that sound. An accident could be lethal. That’s why people need to pay attention to this petition.”

Labour MP for Hove and Portslade Peter Kyle signed the petition himself and said: “There are miles of water out there to enjoy and no reason at all why jet skis need to come close to the shore. Keeping people safe is more important than giving others the chance to show off, so I’ve signed the petition and support an exclusion zone.”

Lynette Slight, committee member on the sea section of the Brighton Swimming Club, said: “It’s only a matter of time before something awful happens. We have been here for 160 years. This is the oldest sea swimming club in Britain. But now we fear for our safety.

Current rules prevent powered craft from travelling closer than 200 metres from the shore between Saltdean and Shoreham.

But lifeguards struggle to police tearaway jet skis which they regularly see in 5mph zones moving at more than ten times the speed limit.

When The Argus visited the Palace Pier, five jet skis could be seen off the coast. Two were moving at high speed, performing tricks, and passing beneath the structure, something the Seafront Office forbids.

A lifeguard by the pier, who did not wish to be named, said: “It’s a constant battle between our patrol boat and the jet skis. They stray into the no-motorised vehicle area all the time. They’re not supposed to go more than five knots (5mph).

“We try and keep them under the speed limit and out of swimmers’ way, but there’s not a lot we can do. It’s usually the same offenders, too.”

Dealing with jet skis forms a large part of the lifeguards’ work.

Seafront operations manager Chris Ingall, who has worked on the beach for the last 16 years, records about 30 cases of dangerous jet skiing a year.

He said: “That’s just the ones we manage to catch up with. They’re some of the fastest vehicles on the water, twice as quick as our patrol boat.

“When we do manage to get to them, we don’t really have the powers we need.

“We can follow cases up if we manage to identify where the vehicles launched, but this exclusion zone is sorely needed.

“I would add that it needs to stretch up past the marina to Saltdean. We also need jet skis to be registered. These are potentially deadly machines with huge 1,000cc engines, and at the moment, anyone can get their hands on one.

“The exclusion zone is a great idea, we just need to make sure we could actually enforce it.”

A worker at jet ski hire company Lagoon Watersports, who didn’t want to be named, said: “People come to ride jet skis in Brighton for the beautiful coastline, the beach huts and the piers.

“People love the speed of them. Responsible jet-skiers know you’re not allowed close to shore. It’s just not safe to be on a jet ski and near people in the water.

“We only let jet skiers go out with an instructor, following a rib powerboat out to sea.

“We trust them, everyone goes out with a full safety briefing, they sign a disclaimer, and we keep their credit cards.

“If you see unaccompanied jet skiers off the beach, that’s absolutely nothing to do with us. They tend to be people who own their own jet skis and have no regard for others.

“I’m not sure how this ban could be enforced.

“There’s already a no-go zone to protect swimmers and people who own their own jet skis still don’t abide by the rules. Would the beach patrol go out and fine them?”