Review of boat safety rules follow man's death

David Haw fell overboard from a boat in May 2022

Stricter rules could be brought in around the use of pleasure vessels after a man died in a boat crash.

David Haw, 24, from Newick, East Sussex, died after falling from a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) into Poole Harbour, Dorset, three years ago.

The helmsman was jailed for gross negligence manslaughter, and a coroner raised concerns that it was "not illegal to helm a pleasure vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs" at the end of last year.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) told the BBC it was "continuing work to introduce new maritime safety legislation later this year".

The MCA has been consulting on an update to its code of practice, it said.

The helmsman of the boat, Morgan Smith, from Northampton, who was 19 at the time of the crash, drank for several hours at social events at the end of Poole Regatta on 1st May, a court previously heard.

At the inquest into David Haw's death, Dorset senior coroner Rachael Griffin said RIBs that were defined as pleasure vessels might not be governed by drinking rules for commercial vessels.

She added that she had other concerns over a lack of safety briefings and lifejackets.