In a vindictive move reminiscent of the totalitarian regimes of Stalin and Pinochet, CRT is threatening to seize and destroy the belongings of boaters including bicycles and childrens’ toys if they have been left, however temporarily, on the towpath. This draconian act is typical of CRT’s harassment of liveaboard boaters, and it shows that CRT will go to any lengths to pressurise liveaboards without home moorings to leave the waterways.
Liveaboard boaters, especially those between Devizes and Bath, are breathing a sigh of relief now this year’s hire boat season is over. The K&A boaters action group is drawing up a dossier of the incidents involving hire boats and complaints that boaters and canalside residents have made about the behaviour or safety of hire boat crew this year. The group will then seek a meeting with the hire companies.
This month, many boaters received a letter from CRT alleging that their boat was sighted in less than the “required” number of “neighbourhoods” between Bath and Foxhangers during the three months from June to August 2014. These letters amount to harassment. The K&A Interim 12-month Local Plan was proposed and consulted on as a voluntary agreement, and therefore CRT cannot now state that boaters are “required” to travel through a specific number of “neighbourhoods”. One of the letters is pictured below.
A boater left his berth at Caen Hill marina and spent three days moored on the towpath. Then his engine broke down. He took his boat into the Foxhangers hire boat base for repairs, and it was moored there for a further three days while the repairs are being done. He then received an email from CRT saying that he has been moored in one “neighbourhood” for longer than 14 days and he should move.
A number of boaters have received letters from CRT alleging that they have overstayed on Visitor Moorings and either demanding £25 per day “extended stay charge” or stating that CRT could have imposed a charge of £25 per day but it was waived it in this instance as the Local Plan has not been in place for very long. We recommend that anyone who receives one of these letters makes a formal complaint.