Last Friday for the first time I went to the Grazing Sheep’s “Tapas night”.

I’d been meaning to go for a while but hadn’t got around to it. However, with autumn fast approaching (if it’s not already with us) I thought I better get a move on and enjoy a continental type evening on the Waterfront.

What a lovely evening it was. Bart, Carlos and the rest of the Grazing Sheep team did a great job in creating not only great food but a very unique experience.

There are two more Friday Tapas nights this year, so if you haven’t been, why not give it a try?

Ipswich Star: The MP attended the Grazing Sheep's Tapas Night on the waterfront. The MP attended the Grazing Sheep's Tapas Night on the waterfront. (Image: Tom Hunt)

However, one issue that did come to light last Friday evening is a recurring one.

There seems to be bikes and scooters whizzing down the Waterfront at often very high and dangerous speeds. I’m well aware that this is a source of concern and frustration for many of my constituents.

Last Friday, whilst everyone was sitting down relaxing and enjoying perhaps one of the last warm evenings of the year, some reckless individual decided to zoom along the waterfront where we were all sitting.

They were on an electric bike travelling at what seemed like over 30mph. We could barely hear or see the bike until it was right in front of us whizzing by almost as a blur.

This is not the first time I’ve had this experienced and it’s becoming a recurring theme. To be honest I’m surprised there haven’t been more serious accidents.

The vast majority of people go down to the waterfront to unwind and relax, not to be kept on edge by reckless individuals who seem to have a death wish.

This issue has been raised with me previously by businesses along the waterfront.

A few months ago, I raised with Suffolk Constabulary. Sadly, the issue remains and there is little evidence of any meaningful enforcement.

Therefore, yesterday I sent off another letter to the Chief Constable outlining my concerns and the need for more action to crack down on these individuals.

I am of course conscious of the fact that this issue isn’t exclusive to the Ipswich Waterfront.

I’m also conscious of the fact that these aren’t the only individuals who act in an anti-social way, having a detrimental impact on the Town Centre experience for the majority.

We have a problem in our Town with a small number of selfish and irresponsible individuals. They blight the experience for the responsible majority, whether that is in the Town Centre or the Waterfront.

As I’ve said many times before, I’m intolerant of these individuals. I would like a zero-tolerance approach to tackling them and there needs to be greater deterrents in place to disincentivise their behaviour.

If you’re in our shared public space, you have a responsibility to behave in a way that doesn’t have a detrimental impact on the experience of others in that public space.

Sadly, too many people either aren’t aware of their responsibility, or they wilfully disregard it.

Sadly, there are enough of these people that if they are allowed to get away with it, they will undermine the Town Centre experience for the majority.

The time has come for a far more robust approach when it comes to these irresponsible individuals.