Man drove boat at twice speed limit in Essex river

Taylor Ellis, 25, was stopped in Lawling Creek, which flows into the River Blackwater, by officers from Essex Police’s Marine Unit on patrol in June 2025.

Ellis has been convicted by Chelmsford magistrates of speeding at twice the area’s eight-knot speed limit.

The court heard Ellis had been driving a personal watercraft with a pillion passenger, while towing another person who was water-skiing.

Marine officer PC Daren Chambers said after the hearing: “Officers from the Essex Police Marine Unit out on patrol observed Ellis riding at approximately double the water speed limit in an area frequented by swimmers and paddleboarders.

“He showed a complete disregard for the local byelaws, which are there for the safety of all water-users. He would have launched his PWC from a slipway where signs clearly indicate the speed limit.

“Our Operation Wave-Breaker patrols are designed to protect water users in areas which have historically experienced water-based anti-social behaviour and where people have ignored the local byelaws and thus pose a danger to people and wildlife in the immediate area.”

Ellis, of Nelson Road, Rainham, was convicted in his absence. Magistrates fined him £440 and ordered that he pay £558.32 in costs and surcharges.

Maldon District Council administers the River Blackwater byelaws and brought the prosecution on January 8.