Safety concerns over rise in Broads paddleboarders

Last year, a survey suggested that 1.6 million people in the UK owned a stand up paddleboard

Safety concerns have been raised over the rising number of paddleboarders using the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.

John Packman, the Broads Authority's chief executive, said he welcomed the rise in paddleboarding following a post Covid-19 boom but called for better education among boat users.

Stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is considered one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

The Broads Authority said it would publish a report on SUPs next year.

"I think the rise has been delightful because one of the things it's brought is a whole new group of people who can enjoy the national park, and they're often young people," Mr Packman told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"But safety things are important. Wearing a buoyancy aid, thinking about where you get in and how you get out, not being overly ambitious and preferably going with someone."

Broads Authority chief executive John Packman said a report regarding the use of stand up paddleboards would be published next year

Sarah Thwaites, who helps to run a boat and paddleboard hire company on the Norfolk Broads, said: "We have seen on the Broads a number of new people that just don't realise just how dangerous it can be when you've got all this activity in quite a short bit of water.

"It's slightly scary, well it's more than slightly scary."

Mrs Thwaites said she would like to see paddleboarders avoid busy sections of the Norfolk Broads, particularly around Wroxham, Horning and Ludham Bridge, which are home to a number of boat yards and dykes.

In 2021, four people died after getting into difficulty on a paddleboarding trip on the River Cleddau in Wales.

British Canoeing, the national governing body for SUP, launched a new course last year designed for new and inexperienced paddleboarders.

Parts of the Norfolk Broads can become pinch points during the summer months

Lee Taylor, founder of the hire company Norfolk Paddle Boards, added: "I share the concerns of people that are concerned about the safety of river users on the water. But I think it's all river users that we should be looking at."

Last year, a survey published by the Royal Yachting Association suggested that 1.6 million people in the UK owned a SUP.

Paddleboarders on the Norfolk Broads are required to pay a toll.