Council bosses have shot down demands to introduce a bylaw to govern the safe use of jet-skis on the River Tay at Perth.
The call has come from the former chairman of the Perth Harbour board.
Chris Ahern says the group had been looking into the rules around jet-skis before it was unceremoniously disbanded by Perth and Kinross Council.
And now he wants the authority to step into the void and take on responsibility for the issue.
Perth and Kinross Council says it is not considering a jet-ski bylaw “at this time”.
Instead, it says it hopes all jet-skiers will abide by the existing code of conduct drawn up by regular users some time ago.
But Mr Ahern says he was alarmed to hear about a recent near-miss involving a jet-skier on the edge of the city.
And it’s not the regulars he’s worried about.
“Most of the locals and regulars abide by the code of practice,” said the Perth Conservative councillor.
“But not everyone does. I was told about a near-miss involving a jet-skier and another user the other week.”
Mr Ahern said jet-skiers had also been seen operating outside the area they’re supposed to stick to.
“We need something to protect wildlife and other users and residents,” he added.
“A code of practice isn’t binding. Bylaws are.”
Perth jet-ski code covers noise, speed, hours and boundaries
The Perth jet-ski code of conduct sets out a permitted area for activity, from the north end of the North Inch to just beyond the Friarton Bridge.
Jet-skiers should be on the water for no longer than two hours on any one day, between 4pm and 9pm, Monday to Friday, or 9am to 9pm on weekends.
No more than six users should be on the water at any one time.
And jet-skis must meet EU noise emission standards.
Jet-skiers should also observe speed limits of 5mph at the harbour mouth entrance and 10mph going past Friarton yacht club.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson told The Courier: “The council is not considering the introduction of a jet-ski bylaw at this time.
“There has been a code of conduct in place for some time that was created by jet-skiers who regularly use the Tay in Perth to encourage others to act responsibly and minimise any resulting noise and disturbance to residents.
“It is hoped that all jet-skiers will abide by this code.”
Jet-ski concerns raised as part of Perth Harbour closure controversy
Mr Ahern also spoke out about the council’s decision to dissolve Perth Harbour Board at the end of May.
It was part of a new strategy, agreed by the economy and infrastructure committee, to end a costly stalemate.
A different committee voted to close the loss-making harbour in February 2023.
But the council has been unable to reach an agreement with Transport Scotland on how to do that.
The hold-up is estimated to have cost the council more than £600,000 in running costs, legal moves and lost savings.
The council is now pursuing a harbour revision order, rather than a full closure order.
That means it will stay on as statutory harbour authority.
But the harbour will be closed to commercial vessels over 24 metres.
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