EA compliance checks

[ms1]

FYI. Recent response to an FOI request in context of compliance checks on vessels and notices served.

For the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, between Teddington Lock and
Shepperton Lock, we recorded the following enforcement activity relating
to your request:

1. We recorded 263.25 hours of patrols in this area. These patrols
include enforcement activity and other activities such as checking
that the navigation channel is clear from obstructions. We do not
record how much time is spent on each activity while on patrol.

2a) We recorded 790 vessels as unregistered at the time their registration
was checked. Please note that these checks may include duplicates of the
same boat at different times of year.

2b) We did not record any offences for lack of insurance, lack of Boat
Safety Scheme certification or waste disposal.

2c) We issued 2 notices under Section 16 of the Thames Conservancy Act
1950 requiring the removal of sunk, stranded or abandoned vessels.

Comment -
I presume that:
'we did not record ' actually means we did not check.

I note there is a vessel moored on EA Desborough Island visitor mooring these past four years. One has to conclude that's this is OK with the EA!?

 

[Quint]

It’s obvious that the EA could not care less about the ever increasing numbers of unregistered,unlicensed Boats that are a blight along the banks of Upper Thames in some cases two and three abreast ! apart from being an eyesore they look to be apart from anything else a colossal fire hazard and God forbid it should ever happen. What would the EA have to say for itself? No Fault of Ours we did everything we could ! NOT

 

[Scapegoat]

From Dominic Raab’s constituency update email (Sept 23)

 

[oldgit]

EA funding cut by 50% over last decade.
EA unable to recruit enough staff to fill their 25% job vacancies, nobody wants to do the work for the money on offer.
Unused funds not spent on staff reallocated to improve facilities on the navigation (in some areas).
Boaters constantly whinging about how hard life/insightly is on a navigation.
However nobody mooring at Runnymeade can be bothered to nip down to the lock and ever pay the £5..00 for second nights mooring, specifically the two very posh Brooms with the pennants of a club located in a very expensive marina indeed who spent most of their two day stay polishing their already spotless fenders.
Suggestions as to where the folks evicted from the river are going/can afford to live welcome


Managers in the enforcement bit of Cart unable to recruit staff , Cart funding just been cut by Dominic Raab’s MP government chums.

 

[Quint]

So that’s it is it ? Hope you’re all reading this illegal mooring nonpaying river dwellers as you can see from the previous post, you have been given carte blanche to moor where ever you like, stay as long as you like, without any repercussions from me EA because they are Skint to the point where they can just about afford their Christmas back patting party !

 

[ms1]

I get the distinct impression that one only has to moor up then say 'this is my permanent dwelling' then you are free and clear to stay as long as you wish.
If so, maybe EA should formalise that and say 'yes you can stay, the mooring fee is £10,000 per annum.'
On the part of Thames mentioned there are numerous vessels 'illegally' moored most probably on Council owned riverbank to be honest, but the EA can still pursue those for licence infringement.
If they moor long enough there is probably some ancient common law that will give them land ownership!

 

[Flynnbarr]

EA funding cut by 50% over last decade.
EA unable to recruit enough staff to fill their 25% job vacancies, nobody wants to do the work for the money on offer.
Unused funds not spent on staff reallocated to improve facilities on the navigation (in some areas).
Boaters constantly whinging about how hard life/insightly is on a navigation.
However nobody mooring at Runnymeade can be bothered to nip down to the lock and ever pay the £5..00 for second nights mooring, specifically the two very posh Brooms with the pennants of a club located in a very expensive marina indeed who spent most of their two day stay polishing their already spotless fenders.
Suggestions as to where the folks evicted from the river are going/can afford to live welcome


Managers in the enforcement bit of Cart unable to recruit staff , Cart funding just been cut by Dominic Raab’s MP government chums.

The Medway……but I recall you whining about illegal moorings in your part of the world,tidal and non tidal.
All they wanted was somewhere to live.

 

[Quint]

Fair enough but why does it have to be at everyone else’s expense ?.

 

[oldgit]

The Medway……but I recall you whining about illegal moorings in your part of the world,tidal and non tidal.
All they wanted was somewhere to live.

Close but no cigar
All the moorings complained about were as a result of one particular property speculator purchasing two parcels of land ,ie. a couple of fields next to a tidal section of the river and a length of towpath up on the non tidal section.
The land in both examples was then divided up into a number of leisure plots and sold off as such, knowing it would be almost impossible/to expensive to find the owners and the freehold was now owned by the purchaser.
The local authorities did finally wake up and get various court orders to enforce the removal any "permanent" structures, leaving behind a mess of sheds/old wrecks and a lot of disgruntled and out of pocket leisure plot owners.
These were not cases of an individual being unable to afford acommodation and having to resort to living in some damp scruffy old tub under some trees to the general displeasure of the boating classes but a simple unscrupulous little commercial scheme to make money by one man ?

 

[oldgit]

So that’s it is it ? Hope you’re all reading this illegal mooring nonpaying river dwellers as you can see from the previous post, you have been given carte blanche to moor where ever you like, stay as long as you like, without any repercussions from me EA because they are Skint to the point where they can just about afford their Christmas back patting party !

The EA are always on the look out for keen and enthusiastic staff perhaps a change of career beckons to sort out Old Father Thames.
External Opportunities - Environment Agency Jobs

 

[Flynnbarr]

Close but no cigar
All the moorings complained about were as a result of one particular property speculator purchasing two parcels of land ,ie. a couple of fields next to a tidal section of the river and a length of towpath up on the non tidal section.
The land in both examples was then divided up into a number of leisure plots and sold off as such, knowing it would be almost impossible/to expensive to find the owners and the freehold was now owned by the purchaser.
The local authorities did finally wake up and get various court orders to enforce the removal any "permanent" structures, leaving behind a mess of sheds/old wrecks and a lot of disgruntled and out of pocket leisure plot owners.
These were not cases of an individual being unable to afford acommodation and having to resort to living in some damp scruffy old tub under some trees to the general displeasure of the boating classes but a simple unscrupulous little commercial scheme to make money by one man ?

Sounds idyllic….wonder why people complained.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

The Unicumes lane moorings were getting a bit out of hand when I had a look in about 2015. I mean one can buy a piece of land and put a boat there but inappropriate development is never going to turn out well. Even if you own the land plot someone is going to get on your back if you use it inappropriately. It is obvious !