The decision by Brighton and Hove City Council not to allow the usual Christmas Day swim to go ahead seems quite odd (The Argus, December 9).

This is a traditional event which has been running for many years and often attracts national publicity for our city.

It is surely possible to find qualified lifeguards to help supervise the event on this day.

If the council needed advice the Health and Safety Executive could give some.

The closure of beaches by the council seems draconian because many people like to use the seafront at Christmas for a stroll.

Added to the restrictions on public access due to the preparations for the controversial i360 it seems that the Green Party care little about freedoms, tradition or our public image.

It is probably better to have beaches with supervised swimming rather than risk drunken unsupervised swimming.

Robert Heale