Saundersfoot harbour has reaffirmed reasons health and safety legislation is in place at the facility, following an incident that left a visitor to the seaside village feeling somewhat ‘crabby’ this week, after claims the harbourmaster left their disabled daughter in tears after being told off for breaking a Byelaw.
The holidaymaker, who told the Observer that they regularly stayed in the village, said the incident left her daughter ‘crying and shaking’.
“She has severe spina bifida and is confined to a wheelchair, using a ventilator day and night. There are few activities she can take part in and enjoys but one is crab fishing. We have crab fished off the harbour with dozens and dozens of people now for four years, she loves speaking to people and feeling more normal, it is a big deal for her,” explained the mother, who did not wished to be named.
“But yesterday (August 14) a man in a boat, who turns out to be the harbourmaster, shouted at her from his boat saying she can't crab fish there!
“We said back we have all been doing this for years, and reminded him of the Equality Act. He made her cry and shake, and she said she wanted to go home.
“He was arrogant and wouldn't listen. Reasonable adjustments must be made under the Equality Act of 2010 for disabled children, but he kept saying ‘I am treating everyone the same’. He failed to grasp the act completely.
“Adjustments may not need to be made for most people but they will for some, so saying treat everyone the same is completely in correct.
“He wanted her to go and use the crab bays cut into the decking, however all around the bays are coloured netting, basically an advert, and she cannot see over it. His answer to this was ‘well does she have to see over it?’ - sorry, but yes she does, that is discrimination - i.e. providing her with a lesser experience than other children who are not disabled.
“If able bodied children can see over and look at the water then so must she, disabled children must never be given a lesser service because of their disability.
“Apparently crab fishing has been banned since 1880 on the harbour according to the harbourmaster, so we took photos over the harbour rails where everyone crab fishes and there are no signs saying this.
“You can't enforce what the public are not made aware of! If they want to enforce it there needs to be signage,” continued the complainant.
“He said it was a health and safety issue for the boats, as the boats turn and go out, they do not go right near a crab line which hangs downwards not out as it is weighted.
“The netted adverts wrapped all the way round both crab bays, do not stop people falling in. When I looked behind there was a hard industrial metal mesh behind them that was permanent and stopped people falling in.
“Acts and laws concerning disabled people's rights are embedded in law, they are the discrimination laws. There should be a perspex area for low down wheelchair children to see the water. If they can do a sheet of glass at the top of Blackpool tower that people can stand on, why not a sheet of suitable glass or perspex then disabled children enjoy the same experience as other more able bodied children,” she added.
Saundersfoot Harbour’s CEO Nicola Gandy gave the following response to the matter: “The Trust Port of Saundersfoot Harbour strives to ensure that the harbour is an accessible and safe space for all.
“There are Byelaws in place at the harbour, one of which prohibits fishing of any kind in the harbour basin.
“The Byelaw is in place for the health and safety all harbour users, and there are numerous signs highlighting this. When the events deck was developed an area was purposely built to allow for safe crabbing.
“In respect of the comments relating to the interpretation netting, we will take on the point made and make adjustments where possible.
“We have seen a large increase in people fishing off the harbour walls in recent weeks, as such, the harbour team are politely advising people to move to the crabbing area on the events deck to continue crabbing at a safe location,” she added.