CIVIL disobedience broke out on Coniston Water on the August Bank Holiday as Windermere speed limit protestors took to the lake to deliberately break the law.

There has been a 10mph speed limit for powered boats on Coniston Water for some years, but the controversial by-law is due to be extended to Windermere next year, outlawing water-skiing and other power-boating activities on the last Lake District waters where they were allowed.

Protestors are promising to step up their campaign to get the Lake District National Park Authority to change its mind as the March 2005 deadline approaches.

Matt Royle of Windermere Action Force was among the activists on Coniston Water on Monday, August 30. He said: "It was a great success from our point of view. There were 10 boats out there all day on the water.

"There were people water-skiing, wake-boarding and towing inflatables at more than 10mph."

Mr Royle said three people were stopped by Lake District National Park staff, but only one was cautioned while the other two gave false names and addresses.

Others, he claimed, spent the whole day skiing without being stopped by a warden at all. This, he said, showed that the LDNPA was powerless to prevent people using the lakes as they pleased and warned it was only the start of what promised to be a "passionate" campaign to force the LDNPA to change its mind on Windermere.

But Mick Casey, spokesman for the Lake District National Park Authority, claimed only eight boats turned up.

He said the drivers refused to stop for LDNPA rangers, but did stop when the rangers were joined by police officers.

"It was a bank holiday and the lake was quite busy," said Mr Casey, "They were skiing and towing inflatables and the safety of other people enjoying the lake was jeopardised, which is why the rangers felt they had to do something to stop them."

A spokesman for Cumbria police confirmed its officers were involved at the weekend and said there were 15 boats breaking the law on the lake.

Several people were warned about their behaviour and the names of two boat drivers had been passed by police to the Crown Prosecution Service and may now face charges of speeding on the lake.

Meanwhile, watersports instr-uctor Roy Garriock spoke out against the 10mph protesters.

Mr Garriock, who teaches canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing through the summer months, and is a former international kayaker, said that he wanted to have his say on behalf of many, following the recent anti-speed limit action.

"The Government is doing the right thing by putting a speed restriction on Windermere," he said. "They are doing it for the silent majority - the majority of users.

"I am among a collection of people who take probably 1,000 children on Windermere, doing activities, and a lot of the time the only real danger is speed boats. It's a bit like taking a party of school kids across the M6."

Mr Garriock contrasted the extensive number of qualifications he needed in order to teach someone to sail, compared with someone who wanted to use a speedboat on Windermere, who only needed the money to be able to afford to do so.