Speeding skiers flout lake limit

The limit is being enforced using hi-tech speed cameras

Opponents to a 10mph limit on Windermere claim a midnight protest on the day it came into force is the start of a round of civil disobedience.

The controversial speed limit on England's largest lake was being enforced from Tuesday.

But within minutes of the limit coming into force, water-skiers took to the lake in defiance.

Members of the Windermere Action Force said they travelled the full length of the lake at speeds of 36mph.

Campaigners had urged the Lake District National Park Authority to halt the 10 mph limit on Windermere, saying it would impact on tourism.

But the authority says it will make the lake a more tranquil place to visit.

Protest organiser Nick Fieldhouse said: "We skied the full length of Windermere, maintaining a respectable 30 to 36 mph, and broke the bye-law right under the very noses of those that brought it in."

'Purely symbolic

The protest - codenamed Operation Kankku - marked the start of a campaign of civil disobedience, which is set to spread to other parts of the Lake District where speed limits are also in place.

Tony Kemp, of the Windermere Action Force, said: "We have a full 2005 timetable of protests lined up for water-skiers and families to enjoy themselves at speed and under power on not only Windermere, but also Coniston Water, Derwent Water and Ullswater.

"The midnight dash was purely symbolic and paves the way for future acts of civil disobedience."

Mr Kemp, 44, from Bingley, West Yorkshire and who skis on Windermere with his wife and three children, said the 10mph restrictions were "discriminatory" and "unjust" and would seriously damage the local economy as water skiers and other lake users were driven away.

He said the protests were about showing support for "families, fun, democracy, freedom and tolerance".

Officials from the Lake District National Park Authority have taken details of the vessels involved in the incident. Those found flouting the law could be fined hundreds of pounds

The authority says the new law will restore tranquillity to Windermere and insisted there will be no change of heart.