Slumboats are go!

Actionmat

Actionmat

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Actionmat said:
I wonder what he'll do with them?
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Or where will they turn up next?

The EA are on a hiding to nothing and time, effort and money is being spent playing Canute. Significant gains in removing liveabiards above Teddington have simply resulted in a huge increase in illegals on the Surrey bank of the Sunbury stretch and along the Hampton waterworks boundary. There are many other gatherings further upriver particularly around Reading.

Do you want your licence fees money spent in this way?
 
I would be prepared to pay more for my license if I was sure the incremental revenue was spent to enforce the ever increasing number of unlicensed boats to pay their license fee and to remove the illegal/liveaboards but I don't trust the EA to spend it in this way.
 
Hmmm,
reading between the lines it sounds as though Trotman decided/was persuaded between February and now to back down. But I can't help wondering if that;s really true, or whether he has just changed his strategy. Does agreeing to this order mean he will actually move his boats?

A.
 
Received from the EA a few days ago:
Below is a summary of what happened at yesterday’s final court hearing given by Nick Mckie-Smith, Waterways Operations Manager :
We attended a final hearing at Kingston County Court on Thursday 21 July 2016, to continue our civil enforcement action against the owner of number of illegally moored vessels. This was with regard to our claim for possession of Environment Agency registered land adjacent to the towpath above Teddington Lock, and at Hurst Park above Molesey Lock.

We reached an agreed settlement with the owner of the boats to vacate the land by the end of August. The order permits either party to apply to court to enforce the terms of the order, avoiding the need to start fresh proceedings.

​
We are very pleased with the outcome, which is a success of our ongoing moorings enforcement activity. This has been achieved as a result of many hundreds of hours of work by our Waterways, Legal and Estates teams, whosesupport is also funded from our navigation income. We will continue to monitor the vessels closely, we recognise that solving a moorings compliance issue in one part of the river, does not stop the issue moving to another part of the river, or re-occurring, and we will continue to work with neighboring riparian landowners. We will also continue to provide moorings advice and guidance to all boat owners.
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Note the second paragraph:
The order permits either party to apply to court to enforce the terms of the order, avoiding the need to start fresh proceedings.
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We must wait and see......
 
boatone said:
Or where will they turn up next?

The EA are on a hiding to nothing and time, effort and money is being spent playing Canute. Significant gains in removing liveabiards above Teddington have simply resulted in a huge increase in illegals on the Surrey bank of the Sunbury stretch and along the Hampton waterworks boundary. There are many other gatherings further upriver particularly around Reading.

Do you want your licence fees money spent in this way?
Click to expand...

I can't see any other option but to require proof of a permanent mooring in order to purchase an annual licence. The same would apply to visiting boats. 'Permanent cruising' is how I wanted to spend my retirement, but that has been ruined for the rest of us by Trotman and his like.
So yes, I do want to see money spent in this way, but more effectively.

There has to be a change in the law. The authorities are clamping down on slum landlords and Trotmans loophole needs to be closed. What about his earnings over the past 8 years? Any other form of illegal activity would see his account emptied and boats confiscated.
 
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If they do move I wonder who will be towing them? They are large boats I think you would need a tug. How would the tug owner then be viewed by the ea? I suspect the vessels will probably be abandoned and ea left to clear up the £mess...
 
EA have tugs plenty big enough to tow the lumps. If it's left to them to clean up I would expect them to go after Trotman for costs. I would then expect him to do a runner back to SA.

They have had windows cut into the hulls near the waterline , so these will need to be boarded over.

Bear in mind the Teddington ones are aground , and that the shanty town on top of the barge hull was built in situ. There is a real danger they will turn turtle if pulled off.

Wouldn't surprise me if the top bit is broken up with grab lorries and then the hulls towed away and cut up.
 
The ea have the hardware and hopefully the cash to do a disposal job but I was idly wondering what would happen if the barges above Teddington suddenly turned up opposite Hampton Court between the Mole and the bridge (for example)

Is the court order then still enforceable ??
 
May interest you to know that some of the shanty town boats that were on the Richmond council land above TEDDINGTON lock have moved !
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To the lock lay by !

What will happen next ? The saga continues ...
 
Actionmat said:
I hear that the Mudway is particularly nice at this time of year. Someone tell Oldgit to get the bunting out:D
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As the prospect of not having a lock keeper every few hundred yards appears too adventurous for most Thames boaters .
Suspect the bunting may stay in the locker just a little longer :)
 
Cycled down that way last Wednesday. There were four big barges moored two abreast on the Richmond Council land but didn't see anything else.

Edited to add the one at Hurst Park was still there.
 
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Slumboats today, on their new free mooring at Teddington Lock. I couldn't help but notice an increase in dogs muck in the immediate vicinity. As I took a pic, Cockney Sparrow powered past, overtaking the Kingston Royale just before the lock cut. Has the old skipper of Connaught got a new job?
image.jpg
 
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