THE boss of a kayaking firm says staff at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park are not doing enough to ensure visitors are staying safe while out on the water.

Paul Richardson, owner of Calamity Kayaking, claims he was ignored when he asked a ranger to advise visitors to put a buoyancy aid on.

Under Loch Lomond byelaws, visitors must ensure that their vessel is carrying sufficient lifejackets or buoyancy aids for every person on board.

The kayak instructor recently tracked down YouTube family The Inghams after they posted footage reportedly showing their children, aged between three and 15, playing around on top of paddleboards on the loch without a safety vest or suitable bouyancy equipment.

In an email to National Park officials, Paul said: "I am very unhappy at something that happened on your loch and feel staff on the ground are not telling people to put buoyancy aids on.

"On Friday, I was paddling around Inchcailloch with friends and I could see people with no buoyancy aids on.

"As [ranger service manager] Leigh Hamilton has asked me not to pull people up about it, I asked a staff member to have a word.

"So as my friends walked around I watched the staff member not pull the people up.

"I felt that was wrong, and this is not the first I've seen of this on the ground."

It comes after Calamity Kayaking hit out at another family on social media for taking a baby on a paddleboard without life jackets.

Paul added: "On Friday, I had to step in and ask a guy to come off the water because he had a three-month-old baby strapped to his chest. As a kayak instructor and wild swimming safety marshal, I felt this was the right thing to do.

"I feel staff on the ground need to do more to keep people in the right about buoyancy aids."

A spokesperson for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park said it is it is only National Park rangers and Police Scotland who are authorised to enforce the Loch Lomond byelaws.

Kenny Auld, head of visitor services at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: "We treat water safety with the utmost importance and work hard to support people to enjoy the water bodies of the National Park as safely and responsibly as possible.

"Our rangers patrol both on the ground, and on Loch Lomond on a daily basis covering a large area speaking to thousands of visitors to provide advice and information and when necessary taking enforcement action.

"They have extensive training and experience in positively engaging with people to influence behaviour.

"We appreciate concerns over people not following water safety advice and welcome the sharing of appropriate messages.

"However, it is only our National Park rangers and Police Scotland who are authorised to enforce the Loch Lomond byelawsm and anyone else attempting to do so, or being perceived as doing so, is potentially putting themselves at risk so we would always discourage this.

"Concerns about water safety should always be reported to the National Park rangers at Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway."

The ranger team at the Balloch slipway can be contacted on 01389 722030.