Enforcement above Teddington

boatone

boatone

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Just a few cables from Boulters Lock
www.tmba.org.uk
Tweeted by Met Marine Policing Unit this morning re Working with @MPSKingston @MPSRichmond @EnvAgency @LBRUT @RBkingston serving notices on illegally moored vessels.

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Well done them,hopefully they will not be creeping round here to escape justice.Mind you looking at some of them doubt they can move,
 
Good news. With any luck the rest of the rivers users will get a chance to moor soon, without having to pay to stay at the lock.
As nice as the lock is, these boats are occupying the only bit where it's free and you don't hear the weir all night. Although we'll probably end up with a pay and display when it's cleared.
 
Just because they've served notices doesn't necessarily mean they will be gone anytime soon. Legal processes can take ages.
As I understand it, those served with un-registered craft notices will have 30 days to pay before they get another notice giving them another 14 days and thats before any legal action starts being considered - and thats just the EA bit.
 
boatone said:
Just because they've served notices doesn't necessarily mean they will be gone anytime soon. Legal processes can take ages.
As I understand it, those served with un-registered craft notices will have 30 days to pay before they get another notice giving them another 14 days and thats before any legal action starts being considered - and thats just the EA bit.
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Given the state of those "boats", I would hope that the Police may have found other offences that could speed up the process considerably.

I thought this was local authority controlled mooring anyway??:confused:

CJL
 
Yes, but only on a very drawn out case by case basis until they all move off and the process starts again somewhere else. I think this is river specific as it's about hogging moorings(and probably river pollution)the anti social side is something that concerns the residents, but the nearest house is half a mile away. The nearest public bin is usually buried in bin bags and there's no shortage of free range dog eggs in the vicinity.
 
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Tin hat on,devils advocate etc....
Not a cat in hells chance of sorting anytime soon.it is part of a much wider social problem that the relevant authorities cannot deal with unless they have draconian powers such as seizing and destroying boats( I am not suggesting this for a moment) that are illegal
Remember it ain't no picnic in the winter,no running water,no electric.some choose that life because it's that or a bedsit/doss house which in a lot of cases means taxpayer funded,ie,you and me.what would you choose,doss house or a river based community??
Lack of housing maybe??liveaboards have massively increased,whether canals or rivers it's booming,I can remember when it was frowned on in thames marinas,now a blind eye is turned in many cases.
I believe the liveaboards above Kingston bridge were in the beginning 'illegals' until the council gave in and saw the opportunity to collect council tax.
Some will go,some will move on somewhere else,a new lot have appeared below sunbury lock.
SODC who own the islands at taplow took SEVEN yrs to evict one barge from them.the guy ran rings around the council with no legal help,went all the way to court,he was fined £800,not a bad result,60' barge mooring for 7yrs.he went legit of his own accord,it was just a game to him! And REMEMBER he only had to move to the next one up and it would have had to start all over again.

How many legit liveaboard moorings are available on the non tidal thames??
Discuss!!
 
Flynnbarr said:
Not a cat in hells chance of sorting anytime soon.it is part of a much wider social problem that the relevant authorities cannot deal with unless they have draconian powers such as seizing and destroying boats( I am not suggesting this for a moment) that are illegal
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They do actually have such powers but exercising them is at best difficult, always costly and very time consuming. There are individuals running rings round the EA by using every trick in the book to avoid paying and there may even be a few that are legitimately challenging the EA's legal right to demand payment.

There is also the problem of proving the case - how do you actually catch someone discharging sewage and proving that an individual is responsible so that you can charge them? Hardly practical to have a 'snoop' watching boats 24/7 to actually witness illegal discharge. Not like a commercial company discharging waste which can be forensically tested and directly associated with the offenders.

We may "know" that a static dutch barge must be discharging waste somehow but try proving it in a court of law! I've always wondered why sealing sea toilets is not carried out but that wouldn't prevent "bucket and chuck it".

Finally it takes man power and resources. 10 or a dozen inspectors covering 140 miles or so of river really can't be in very many places at once. As they are the same people that have to prepare all the casework as well they have even less time to spend on patrol.

Unfortunately we are in a position where lack of cash results in even further loss of cash due to enforcement resources being inadequate to meet the need.
 
Going back to your original pic, I wish that was only half the problem but it now goes along most of the tow path there now, so much so its not even worth using the lower tow path. (speaking as a runner / walker / cyclists / resident / boater / Richmond Upon Thames Council Tax payer...)
 
Richard Shead said:
.....its not even worth using the lower tow path. (speaking as a runner / walker / cyclists / resident / boater / Richmond Upon Thames Council Tax payer...)
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Forget all your conflicting interests and just concentrate on speaking as a boater and get MBM on the case. Seems to me that the Thames is a wonderful subject for a campaign ! :D
 
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