Fishermen's headtorches a 'danger to shipping'

Authorities at Shoreham Harbour in West Sussex have warned that anglers' headtorches are posing a threat to ship safety in the area.

According to the Mirror, there has already been several near misses after shore anglers' head lights have blinded skippers coming into the harbour.

Up to 50 anglers can gather on the concrete arm near the harbour entrance in one night, causing ships to come close to running aground, or crashing into the breakwater.

The paper adds that the headtorches are very powerful, with a range of 80 metres and a wattage of up to 1000.

Harbour master, Julian Seaman, said it's only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs.

Talking to the Mirror, he said: "Vessels inbound to the port have run the risk of going aground or crashing into the breakwater."

The Angling Trust has suggested using a simple blue filter on headlamps to reduce the light.

Meanwhile, Shoreham Harbour's two lifeboats were involved in the their first call-out of the year last week.

Shoreham RNLI's lifeboats were launched to help a fishing vessel that had broken down.

According to the West Sussex Today, the 18ft fishing boat had suffered engine failure with two people on board.

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