Council moves abandoned Bideford boat that was blocking slipway

An abandoned boat has been removed on the river in Bideford to bring a slipway back into use for smaller boats, canoes and paddleboards.

Torridge District Council carried out the work to make the slipway at New Road functional again after it was partially blocked by the disused boat for months, plus a large tree trunk had also become entangled with the debris and the boat was decaying, filling with silt and mud from the river.

Council officers had previously tried to find out who owned the boat through social media pleas for information and through contact with the local boating community.

The council said ‘anecdotal feedback’ suggested it was owned by someone who didn’t have the resources to restore it as they had originally planned, but the owner could not be traced.

Council officers took the decision on health and safety grounds to have the boat removed rather than risk the further breakdown of the structure causing debris and other contaminants to drift into the estuary.

Local contractor and crane operator Nick Sampson was employed for the job and full access has now been restored.

Harbour officers have reminded boat owners that to comply with estuary and harbour regulations, they need to moor their vessels on a council registered buoy or mooring.

They also need to ensure they secure or tie up their vessel to prevent it escaping its mooring and interfering with other users.

Councillor Bob Hicks – Chair of the Harbour Board said: “We do our best to trace ownership of vessels as the cost of removal where things have gone wrong shouldn’t have to fall on the council and ultimately council tax payers.

“In this case we were left with no alternative and officers have done a timely job in removing this hazard from the estuary before things got worse. Owners need to ensure they comply with regulations and abide by the rules covering usage of the river so that they don’t spoil the enjoyment for others. I’m glad full access to this slipway has now been restored.”