Wave of 'bad behaviour' too strong to stop in Portsmouth as teenagers spotted tombstoning into the Solent

It comes as a girl was spotted tombstoning into the Solent at Old Portsmouth on Tuesday evening.

The dangerous decades-old pastime sees people jump into the waters - despite the risks that shallow water or rocks lurking underneath can pose.

Groups of people – including teenagers and adults – who had previously been adhering to lockdown are now being spotted congregating across the city.

Younger people were praised by Councillor Rob Wood, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, as being ‘brilliant’ in the lockdown.

But he added: ‘The cork has popped and youngsters are out there to celebrate their moment in the sun, and I think youngsters are being youngsters but we need to make sure that we give them, at every opportunity, advice where we can to curb excess behaviour - particularly tombstoning - because it can be harmful to them.’

Cllr Wood, who represents St Thomas ward including Old Portsmouth, intervened himself with teenagers on Sunday evening letting off fireworks on the beach.

He said: ‘It’s really important that we contact youngsters and understand them and at the same time we reach out to them to take on board what they’re doing has a big impact on others who feel anxious.’

He added: ‘Yes there’s a lot of bad behaviour going on and there’s a reason for that and the city is trying to respond. But at the moment the wave of it is too great.

‘As that subsides I’m sure that the measures the city is putting in place are starting to bear fruit.’

Video captured by Waterlooville dad Mark Walsh while out walking in Old Portsmouth with his family shows a girl leaping into the water in the balmy weather.

Mr Walsh said there was a ‘party atmosphere’ while walking in Southsea, with a divide between those social distancing and those not following the rules.

He added: ‘Then we saw the familiar sight of people tombstoning into the sea from the Hot Walls.

‘A new normal with the same realities. We saw a good number of people jump off and many of us were watching - concerned.

‘More so given what we saw happen at Durdle Door (with tombstoners) at the weekend and we are supposed to be in a pandemic.

‘For sure what’s clear now is that there is no concern about protecting the NHS, the important message hammered home to us for the first nine weeks.’

Sonny Wells, 32, was left paralysed from the waist down after tombstoning from South Parade Pier in 2008.

Just last week he told The News: ‘Almost everywhere you go in Portsmouth, you’re jumping into shallow water, it's potentially fatal.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.