UK Edition
Lifeguards were recommended three years ago by RNLI for beach where five friends drowned
Lifeguards were recommended three years ago by the RNLI for the East Sussex beach where five friends drowned this week.
Rother District Council confirmed that a risk assessment carried out by the lifeboat crews and lifeguards charity at Camber Sands in 2013 suggested the use of lifeguards.
The revelation comes after the council previously insisted that the seven-mile stretch of beach, near Rye, had been assessed as safe without lifeguards.
The council has now decided to put lifeguards on the beach until the end of the summer season.
It claims that an increase in less well-informed visitors from inland locations in the last three years has changed the nature of the risk.
The news comes as the RNLI volunteered six of its staff to guard the beach this weekend.
In a statement issued on Thursday, a council spokeswoman said: "Regular assessments of Camber beach are carried out in conjunction with the RNLI to ensure the area is safe.
"These checks have not, to date, identified the need for lifeguards."
But yesterday Brett Shepherd, operations manager for RNLI lifeguards, said the charity had carried out a detailed risk assessment at Camber Sands and recommended that lifeguards be deployed.
He said: "We've risk assessed the beaches there, working with the council.
"We recommended lifeguards as one control measure, alongside education for people, and the beach patrols which Rother District Council provides."
The charity regularly carries out assessments on beaches which take in everything from the size of the waves, the topography of the land and the people who visit. It then negotiates with councils to provide lifeguarding services.
A spokeswoman for Rother District Council said: "More recently the environment has changed enormously with a different demographic of visitors - many of them are coming from inland and have very little or no experience of the sea and dangers it presents.
"The RNLI assessment in 2013 suggested, among other potential measures, the consideration of a seasonal lifeguarding service.
"In reviewing these suggestions, improvements were made to beach management and a lifeguard service has been kept under constant review.
"Due to the recent fatalities, in agreement with the RNLI, we have reconsidered the suggested measures and feel that, because of the changing nature of demographic, a temporary lifeguarding service needs to be in place until end of the season.
"We will then review all options with the RNLI in preparation for next year."
On Wednesday, Kenugen Saththiyanathan, 18, and his brother Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, 22, and friends Nitharsan Ravi, 22, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, died at Camber Sands.
The young men, from south-east London, are believed to have got into trouble after falling into deep channels of water between sand-bars - mounds of sand created by the waves and tides.
Earlier this summer, Gustavo Silva da Cruz, 19, from Brazil, drowned at the beach and, in 2012, Tanzeela Ajmal, 29, died after being dragged underwater by a rip tide.