Coastal Office and patrol service (previously called the Beach Office)
See also:
About the Coastal Office
Located on Worthing Promenade our team is on patrol daily in pursuit of public safety on the foreshore, enforcing local legislation, minimising marine hazards, assisting the emergency services, supporting conservation efforts and our Fishing Community.
The team are trained in First Aid with significant background experience to support individuals with cuts and scrapes to life threatening injuries.
The Coastal Office is not a designated Search and Rescue' service but supports the Coastguard/RNLI as a recognised additional service. The team actively promotes maritime safety along our coastline, with far-reaching foreshore patrols and direct engagement with the public and stakeholders.
As a public service, the Coastal Office is accessible to everyone who uses our coastline, please note the opening hours further down.
If you have any questions, please contact our team during opening hours - we do not have a telephone recording facility when closed:
- by emailing coastal.office@adur-worthing.gov.uk
- or calling 01903 238 977
For help at sea, please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
If you are thinking of heading out onto the sea, or just going to the beach, you may also want to refer to:
Where is the Coastal Office, and when is it open?
The Coastal Office is situated on the promenade and located between Worthing Pier and the Lido (opposite Marks & Spencer's Food Hall).
The Coastal Office is open seven days a week, unless signposted differently:
- 1st May to 30th September: 9am to 6pm
- 1st October to 30th April: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
The Coastal Office is closed on:
- Christmas Day: 25th December
- Boxing Day: 26th December
- New Year's Day: 1st January
What area does the team cover?
The Coastal Office team provides a service across up to 7 miles of coastline:
1st May to 30th September:
- the Coastal Wardens patrol across 7 miles of coastline - from Ferring to Widewater
- we also provide a water patrol service for inshore waters covering this area
1st October to 30th April:
- the Coastal Wardens patrol across 5 miles - from Ferring to Brooklands
The beach is made up of mainly shingle above high water and sand down to low water, with plentiful rock pools.
Water quality is tested by the Environment Agency, see:
How does the team patrol the beach?
The Coastal Office patrols our local coastline by quad bike (ATV) or foot during the winter months, where they cover from Ferring to East Worthing.
In the peak summer season, conditions permitting, the Coastal Office will deploy their personal watercraft (PWC) with assistance board to carry out pro-active inshore water safety and compliance patrols.
All forms of mobile foreshore patrols are supported directly from the Coastal Office on Marine Parade.
To remain effective and compliant, all staff, vessels and vehicles carry a multitude of varying emergency and essential equipment such as, but not exhaustive to - First Aid Kits, VHF radio, rescue throwlines, body worn video and observation tools.
The Coastal Office serves as a recognised additional service to the Coastguard/RNLI and other emergency services and aims to safely assist where possible.
Environmental reconnaissance is a large element of the department's day-to-day roles, which includes enforcing and advising on local byelaws, national legislation, reporting beach/structural defects, promoting water safety and attending to marine life where necessary including the removal of dead seals and cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises).
The team's fleet consists of one Personal Watercraft (PWC) with assistance board and two quad bikes (ATVs).
Other services provided by the Coastal Office
The Coastal Office is home to a number of additional services and attractions, including:
Marine Warriors: A 'Marine Warrior' backpack includes all the items children need to go rock pooling and explore some of the sea life right on our doorstep during low tide. Participants will receive an activity book and certificate to remember their experience. The backpacks are free to hire, but a £10 cash deposit is required to cover the cost of the equipment if any of the parts are lost.
Family identification bands: You can pick up a band free of charge from the Coastal Office. A family name and a contact number for a vulnerable adult or child/children is normally written on it so that in the event that the person wearing it does become lost; it can help with a swift reunion.
Rockpool Reef: In the reception area of the Coastal Office, visitors can get a closer look at the native foreshore marine life within our intertidal area. Native species of fish, crustaceans and sealife are on show in 'Rockpool Reef', our 400 litre tank. The facility can be enjoyed by visitors daily from April to November (all sealife is returned to the sea in November).
Photo: A shoreline crab in Rockpool Reef
Tide times: see:
Water safety tips: We have created a short video with Kellie from our Coastal Office team to summarise some of the key water safety tips:
See also:
Beach wheelchairs at Splashpoint Leisure Centre:
Beach wheelchairs are free to hire from Splashpoint Leisure Centre. For details about their use, and to book a wheelchair, see:
What the Coastal Office does:
- Beach safety patrols by quad bike (ATV) or foot all year
- Water safety patrols (May to September)
- Assist emergency services, including:
- HM Coastguard (MMCG)
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - Support additional government agencies, including:
- Environmental Agency (EA)
- Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA)
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) - Water safety advice
- First Aid
- Environmental reconnaissance
- Support marine life
- Check life saving equipment such as: AED (Automated External Defibrillators), throw lines and life rings (lifebuoys)
- Report foreshore/structural defects
- Support conservation initiatives
- Support beach cleaning groups
What the Coastal Office does not do:
- Powers of arrest or criminal offences, including anti-social behaviour (ASB)
- Secondary reporting of crimes to the Police
- Physical recovery of vessels at sea
- Search and rescue (unless instructed by emergency services)
- Lost and found items
- Parking enquiries - see: parking
- Tourism enquiries - however, visitors looking to find out more about the town can use the Visitor Information Point located outside the Coastal Office (see photo below), see:
Visitor Information Points (Tourist Information Centres)
For help at sea, please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
If you are thinking of heading out onto the sea, or just going to the beach, you may also want to refer to:
Need assistance with this service?
Get in touch:
Coastal Office
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Page last updated: 12 February 2026