Man injured in sea scooter crash

Police advise water scooter riders to take training courses

A 49-year-old man is in hospital with serious head injuries after two sea scooters collided off Clacton in Essex.

The man from Witham was riding a 650cc craft when he was in collision with an 1100cc scooter being driven by a 12-year-old boy from Romford on Sunday.

A third rider, not yet identified by police, rescued the man who was taken to Colchester General Hospital.

Police want to trace the rescuer and other witnesses to piece together the events on Sunday afternoon.

Det Con Simon Lofting, of the Essex Police marine unit, said: "These craft reach high speeds and, as this collision shows, they can be very dangerous.

"We advise people who use them to learn a lot about the machines first and to take training courses especially covering the etiquette and rules which they must abide by such as which side to pass and what to do if a collision is imminent.

"There are also local bye laws setting speeds and places where the craft can be used.

"We are trying to piece together the sequence of events which led to the collision near Seawick and Huntley's Caravan Park on Sunday and want to trace the rescuer as well as other witnesses."

The boy was not injured in the collision which occurred at 1520 BST.