Trotman barge below Hampton court

[JumbleDuck]

The facts are that local residents and legitimate river users who respect both the rules and common standards of decency

"common standards of decency" usually means "people like us", but I'll let that pass

have for many years capaigned for action against illegal mooring and antisocial behaviour, which manifestly are connected.

A few posters here have said that they used to moor any old where but can't any more because landowners are increasingly suspicious. Was their illegal mooring also manifestly connected with antisocial behaviour? There does seem to be a fair bit of "well, you know what poor people and foreigners are like" around these threads and I really think that campaigning on that basis, as has been implicitly suggested, will get nowhere and potentially do a lot of damage. Just look at the bad press CaRT when they quite legitimately take action against canal boats breaking the rules on continuous cruising ... no imagine the press on hand to watch people being evicted from "the only homes they can afford" at the best of the owners of motorboats who want to be able to moor in those spots and not have their sense of common decency outraged.

Trotman is of particular concern because of the size, number and unpleasantness of his vessels, the nature of his operation, and his callous disregard for the law.

I agree completely that his vessels look terrible and his tenants have my sympathy. As I wrote before, I am astonished that he is permitted to rent out such obviously substandard accommodation. However, if he really was showing "callous disregard for the law" then I'd have though some legal action would have been possible. Is in not the case that he manages to stay on the right side of the law, just, and hence gets away with it.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

"Is in not the case that he manages to stay on the right side of the law, just, and hence gets away with it"

A bit like Philip Green then ?

My attitude to it is that people doing this "in bulk" cause negative outcomes for people who are out there to not cause offence, or who just want to moor the boat up.

I used to go to Teddington lock in my dinghy when I was a teenager in the late 80s and there was only really 1 or 2 boats. One of them is a friend and he is still on the River but very unhappy about the slum boats.
Until about 10 years ago I could moor above teddington lock cut on the concrete bank and relax. For the last few years it has been completely full. Now it has been cleared but unfortunately the locals have been asked to report any boat stopping. I have a canal boat with things on the roof, dinghy behind me etc, no house, I pay for a residential mooring. I want to come up the tideway and stop to visit teddington and hampton wick where I lived as a youngster.

If I stop at the ham moorings some prat will ask when I am going. If I stop at the lock cut its £8 to the lock keeper.

Its not just people with houses and expensive boats in marinas who are affected - it is almost all users of the River.

As there is obvious potential money to be made I'd advocate building moorings and making it official. But I bet nobody would do it if there were over heads like mooring costs !

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Local residents and campaigners should be asking the EA why they towed them into another councils jurisdiction.
Were they complicit with Richmond in just shunting the problem onto another local authority,probably for the whole process to have to start again or were they that naive to think that Trotman wouldn't fight and want his business to continue.

Its OK the boats are going to Penton Hook.

Pull the other one.

 

[Alan ashore]

I think the boat that was on Queens Promenade, Kingston a couple of weeks ago has gone across the river to Barge Walk.

That's back in Richmond, FWIW.

 

[Actionmat]

Is that the responsibility of the council or Royal Palaces?

 

[Alan ashore]

Is that the responsibility of the council or Royal Palaces?

Royal Palaces I believe.

 

[Actionmat]

Royal Palaces I believe.

He's not daft is he? Those moorings were properly managed until a couple of years ago, then the hangers on from Trotmans flotilla started playing cat and mouse, moving from the Kingston side to the Middlesex bank on a daily basis, but the Royal Palaces van was nowhere to be seen. Will the Royal Palaces have the stomach to take him to court? I doubt it, if only he'd bugger off to Windsor and try it on with the Crown Estate. They seem to be the only organisation on the river with teeth.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Crown estate have the serious organised police act 2005 signage. The bit between the ornate bridges (albert/victoria bridges). They just say if you stop there you will be arrested basically. A little well worded sign goes a ling way. I did once stop there due to engine problems and was approached within minutes by someone who made it very clear that I needed to not be there. I sorted the problem (low water in engine header tank leading to high temperature) and moved on. Even walkers are banned between the bridges - its an interruption to the Thames path. Her maj hates plebs.

Barge walk has always been quite relaxed about overnight stopping but I guess they may do a similar thing if they feel the need due to unusual behaviour patterns like squatting.

Is it palaces or parks? I think the bloke who goes round there had a Royal Parks land rover.

Of course the other organisation with teeth is the PLA. I couldn't help noticing as soon as the boat approached PLA territory it was repelled as if by some sort of force field.

 

[Chris_d]

Crown estate have the serious organised police act 2005 signage. The bit from end of Old Windsor Lock cut as far as the second ornate bridge (albert/victoria bridge). They just say if you stop there you will be arrested basically.

They are serious there, have seen someone breakdown and drift towards the Crown estate and about to get off when a black Range Rover arrived with armed police and politely but firmly pushed them away again