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Published:
April 1, 2006
Outcry
as EU safety team demands town lighthouse be painted orange
Burnham-On-Sea's
lighthouse may have to be painted orange as part of a crackdown
on safety by EU bosses, it was disclosed this week.
A
delegation of EU maritime safety officials visited the town in
March as part of a month-long tour of coastal resorts in the South
West to tighten up on safety.
 They
identified several potential hazards in our area, and in a surprise
move demanded that councillors have the town's lighthouse re-painted
"because of its position so near to the estuary and its general
lack of visibility which makes it a danger to small craft and
shipping."
The
demands are likely to cause outcry among local residents and tourists,
who love the historic lighthouse in its current form. The news
comes just weeks after the lighthouse was repainted in its current
distinctive red and white colours, as pictured above.
But
EU safety officials are adamant that because the building no longer
meets a new EU maritime safety directive, "it must be repainted
a vibrant colour, such as orange, to urgently rectify the hazard
as a matter of urgency."
 "Your
lighthouse is not the only one identified in our study - there
are others around the UK which will need to addressesed,"
said EU Maritime Safety Officer Lalrip Foo. "But its position
on the beach so close to the estuary makes it a priority for safety
improvement action."
As
part of the recommendations, the safety team also recommended
that "urgent remedial work" be carried out to the paddling
pool on Burnham beach and the position of the Berrow wreck, although
further details were not given.
The
spokesman added that the driver for change is a rise in safety-related
accidents around the UK in 2005. The number of incidents jumped
to 89 from 41 the year before.
No
need for concern... this was our 2006 April Fool's Day story!
Did we fool you, or were you among those who emailed Burnham-On-Sea.com
to express their concern about the EU 'plans'? Keen-eyed readers
will have noticed the name of the imaginary EU Maritime Safety
Officer was 'Lalrip Foo', an anagram of 'April Fool'. See
our 2005 April Fool's Day story here. |
He
added: "It's vital that we tighten up on safety or the consequences
could be law suits, compensation claims and long-running legal
spats which could take years to resolve."
The
proposals are set to be discussed further at the next meeting
of Burnham's town council.
One
councillor, who was with the delegation team when they visited
the lighthouse, said: "While I can understand the safety
issues here, the proposal to repaint the lighthouse is just barmy.
It's been here for many years without any accidents. This really
is a case of safety-gone-mad."
"We
tried to argue with the EU officials why the changes should not
be made, but our point of view fell on deaf ears. I really fear
that our lighthouse will now be repainted orange - they are determined
to get the recommendations implemented."
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