ANTI-SOCIAL Behaviour Orders — ASBOs — could be introduced as a deterrent to teenagers who persist in jumping into Ilfracombe Harbour from the pier.

Despairing harbour master Rob Lawson said: "I don't know what else we can do. I gather them together and talk to them about the dangers, there are warning signs up about the bylaw and police are sending out letters to parents — but I'll turn around and within half-an-hour, they are doing it again.

"There seems to be a new group, perhaps the next generation, who are growing up with a death wish."

The introduction of ASBOs could result in persistent "tombstoners" being banned from the harbour area and subjected to a curfew.

The hard line on the youngsters follows an incident in the harbour last Wednesday, when a teenager was taken to hospital after an accident on the pier left him with a suspected head injury.

The 14-year-old, who was discharged the same evening had been tombstoning off the pier with two friends, immediately prior to the incident.

The boy, who lives in Ilfracombe, had gone to the lower platform of the pier and climbed onto one of the eight-feet-long rubber fenders attached to the wall as a buffer for ships such as MS Oldenburg.

Bernice Putt from Ilfracombe coastguard said: "The fenders are wrapped in chains and he got his arm caught in the chain. The fenders roll and this one swung down and then back up again, so he wrenched his arm and banged his head before falling into the water."

Friends went into the water to rescue him before calling an ambulance.

Bernice said: "He is very lucky that it swung back up the same way, if it had continued to roll, he could have been trapped. It could have been a lot worse.

"Technically he wasn't tombstoning at the time of the incident, but he shouldn't have been jumping in at all. There are so many dangers."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency warns that the perils of tombstoning could include submerged rocks, or simply the sudden shock of extremely cold water temperatures.

Lt Cdr Lawson stressed that as a working harbour the danger from vessels could also be added to the list.

He said: "We don't want to stop them coming here, because it's a lovely place, as long as they stop jumping."

Insp Pete Sarney of Ilfracombe Police said: "We will continue with our endeavours to support the harbour master in preventing tombstoning. Again we shall be sending out patrols looking specifically at this issue this summer.

"The bottom line is, this is very dangerous and clearly we will do our utmost to try and stop people who are reckless, not just to themselves, but potentially to others.

"There are many ways we can intervene, including enforcement of the bylaw. We will continue to try to educate those concerned and possibly applying use of the ASBO escalation process. But ultimately we want this to stop."

He added: "Ilfracombe offers many varied alternatives in water-based activities, including the canoe, gig boat and sailing clubs and I would urge anyone who likes playing about in the water to join one of these safer, controlled clubs."