A blind water skier has warned that the introduction of a 10mph speed limit on Windermere will force renegade skiers to take drastic and dangerous measures to pursue their sport on the lake, reports Justin Hawkins.

Gerald Price, who set a new blind world water-skiing speed record during Windermere Records Week last year, claims the by-law introducing a 10mph speed limit on powered craft on the lake from 2005 is "full of holes" and potentially "lethal".

Although some parts of the lake already have a 6mph speed limit, the new by-law will introduce a 10mph limit on powered craft on the rest in a bid to bring more peace and tranquillity to the lake.

Mr Price, from Stockport, told a full meeting of South Lakeland District Council this week that limiting the speed of power boats would not necessarily stop water-skiing. He explained that a skier travelling behind a vessel on a 200ft rope could achieve speeds of 40mph, in spite of the fact that the towing vessel was within the 10mph speed limit, by zig-zagging behind the boat on a 400ft arc.

"If people are forced to ski on 200ft lines, cutting to maintain a reasonable skiing speed, this will create a situation of an accident waiting for a place to happen that somewhere will be Windermere," he said.

"The by-law that it is intended to introduce in 2005 is lethal and nobody can possibly have looked at a risk assessment or safety analysis."

He also pointed out that there was scope for non-powered craft, such as yachts and windsurfers, which were not subject to the speed limit, to tow skiers above the 10mph limit.

Mr Price is a founder member of the British Disabled Water Ski Association and became the first ever totally blind water ski jump World Champion in 1987. He said the BDWSA was very safety conscious and would not entertain such dangerous practices to keep skiing on Windermere, but warned that others might.

Mr Price said water-skiing was "the best sport that has ever become available for disabled people" and threw down a gauntlet to councillors to take up the issue of the speed limit with Government and the national park authority so that the local economy could keep the £20 million and hundreds of jobs he said power boats brought to the area and so that the BDWSA could continue using the last available lake in the Lake District.

He asked councillors to discuss the issue at their next meeting and to take it up with the Lake District National Park Authority. "Tell them we do not want to fight with them," he said. "We want to talk to them before it is too late."

Councillors did not debate the issue after Mr Price had spoken. Director of amenities and development Martin Jayne said the council did not oppose the speed limit and without a vote that stance would not change. There had been no indication that councillors wanted to debate or vote on the issue.

Bob Cartwright, head of park management at the LDNPA, later told The Westmorland Gazette: "This is the first I have heard of that particular idea. It seems to be very unlikely to happen as to be not worth commenting on really. But, as with any issue to do with lake management, we will address it if it arises. If we find that we need a new by-law to deal with new activities we will do that."

He continued: "As he (Mr Price) knows, the issue is closed. The Government has made its decision - it is not for us to reopen the debate."