She raised concerns about the lifeguard tower on Hove beach being unmanned despite the recent hot weather.
“Why are there no lifeguards on Hove Lawns beach?” she questioned in an online residents association group.
“At the height of the school holidays, on a very hot day, the beach was packed.
“What value do we place on a child’s or person’s life, Brighton and Hove City Council?”
The council lifeguard tower is supposed to be staffed from the start of the season on May 25.
According to the council’s website, “Lifeguards patrol the city’s beaches from the end of May until the end of the school holidays in September.
“During this time, a team of seasonal beach lifeguards patrols the beach, supported by a patrol boat.”
The council has now admitted that it doesn’t always have enough lifeguards to keep all stations open.
Councillor Mitchie Alexander, acting cabinet member for culture, heritage, and tourism, stated, “Having our beaches regularly patrolled by lifeguards is incredibly important, which is why we secured funding to keep them throughout the summer and are exploring ways to ensure this service continues in the future.
“We have 42 lifeguards currently working across ten beach areas, but occasionally we are unable to open all our lifeguard stations due to staff unavailability or sickness.
“In such cases, the decision on which station or stations to close is made following strict risk assessments, and we always inform beach users where lifeguards are not patrolling.
“We understand that the temporary closure of lifeguard stations can affect people’s enjoyment of the beach. We only close stations when absolutely necessary, and I thank residents and visitors for their understanding.”
This comes as RNLI crews have been busy during the recent hot weather, including an incident at Beachy Head where a parent and child encountered trouble on a paddleboard.
Sussex recently experienced a yellow heat health alert, prompting many to flock to Brighton beach to enjoy the sunshine.
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