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Port of London Authority
It ’ s great to see more people out there being active and enjoying the river . But I do have concerns about their safety , and the Port of London Authority ( PLA ) share those concerns . They see rapid growth in paddlesports and see the potential for a rise in incidents and potential drownings . Last year , at least one reported local near-miss incident when two SUP paddlers , clearly beginners , were nearly dragged under a pontoon after strong currents pulled their boards under while they struggled to release leg ankle leashes .
Inexpensive extra option
We are contacting SUP brands / distributors to ask them to only supply quick release ( QR ) leashes with the board or make this an inexpensive extra option at the time of purchase . The advice on leg leashes needs to be simple and unambiguous – leg leashes are not suitable for use on rivers .
Sam has had some initial success with McConks paddleboards immediately providing QR leashes with all SUP sales . Soon after , Gladiator SUP and FatStick became the following brands to agree to switch . I called my old friend Alex Tobutt , STX and Naish distributor , and he was