St Ives leisure boat ticket changes criticised

Any operator with several types of boats can now only have one booth

A council in Cornwall has restricted places on a seafront that leisure boat operators can sell tours at.

St Ives Town Council is cutting the number of booths allowed from 16 to 10, and touts were no longer allowed at a gate beside a lifeboat station.

Enforcement officers had fined some operators £100 for breaching the related public space protection order (PSPO) and operators said they had been warned of more fines.

The council said: "We do understand that change is difficult and not everyone is happy with the new rules, but boat trips are alive and well in St Ives and will continue as they always have."

'Historic businesses'

One company has lost a pitch despite trading for more than 50 years, the BBC understands.

The changes include any operator who has several types of boats only being allowed one booth in total instead of one for each style of boat or trip.

Karen Gilbert, of Nemo Glass Bottom Boat Trips, said: "I hope there can be a solution.

"We're not saying you can keep adding more and more, but let's cap it at... the 16 that had a licence last year and not destroy these historic businesses."

Karen Gilbert said she did not want the changes to affect historic businesses

Boat trips are 'core memories'

Ticket seller Billy Thomas said: "You ask anyone one who came down when they were a kid and ask them what would they remember, one of the things would be being asked if they would like a boat trip.

"It's one of their core memories that links them to this place.

"It's as fundamental as the seagulls stealing your pasty or being out on the beach in the sun and the rain."

The council said: "Changes this year have been brought in by the town council in response to concerns from the RNLI, complaints from the public and other businesses along the wharf about some of the behaviour and number of ticket sellers at the gate.

"The RNLI asked that touts did not trade from the gate and the highway manager was concerned about so many people standing on the road."

It added that licences we issued "to all but one business" and "all of them are now trading for the season".