Abandoned canal boats are 'eyesores with character'

These two boats can be found a few yards upstream from Bishop Meadow Lock

A charity has said several abandoned boats will be removed from a canal in Leicestershire after residents called for them to be cleared.

People living in Loughborough have appealed on social media for action to be taken over the boats because "ducks are getting swamped with rubbish".

The Canal and River Trust, which looks after 2,000 miles (3,218km) of waterways across England and Wales, said it was aware of the boats on the canal on part of the River Soar.

"While we can't share specific details on each one, we'd like to assure local people that we are in the process of getting them removed," a spokesperson said.

Martin Butlin described one of the abandoned boats in the town centre as "an eyesore with character"

There were a total of four abandoned boats between Bishop Meadow Lock and Loughborough Basin when the BBC visited the town.

Martin Butlin, 65, who comes to Loughborough in his own canal boat, described one of the abandoned boats in the town centre as "an eyesore with character".

He said the vessel, which dated back to the 1950s, had arrived at Loughborough Basin in April, but had been completely abandoned for the past two or three months.

"There seems to be an awful lot of [abandoned] boats and I don't recall there being so many back in the day.

"It's got particularly bad in the last four or five years," said Mr Butlin, who has been boating for 25 years.

The boat on the left is abandoned in Loughborough Basin, and the boat on the right is abandoned at Bishop Meadow mooring

Kerry Robinson, a university student in Loughborough, said the boats needed to be removed but admitted she was intrigued by them.

"I can understand why people just look at it and think 'what is that doing there' but... there's a lot to unpick from it.

"The chair on the top... where's that come from, there's no parking nearby? It's got a story to it," she said.

Paul Meneely, 65, from Loughborough, thought people were using the boats as a dumping ground.

"[One of the boats] started to list during the early summer but it's more submerged now. I think the interesting thing is just the amount of debris and rubbish which is now visible to the naked eye, which perhaps wasn't earlier," he said.

"I've just got a feeling that people are using it as a bit of a tip, which just makes the whole thing look even sadder."

Remnants of caution tape can be seen on the abandoned boat in Loughborough Basin

The Canal and River Trust said the clean-up of a single boat could cost up to about £10,000 depending on the circumstances, with specialist contractors required.

The charity said it also had to "make every effort" to trace the registered keeper before it could go ahead with removal.

"This can be a lengthy process and, unfortunately, we are often left in a situation where boats are abandoned and we have to organise and pay for the recovery ourselves," a spokesperson said.

"We don't always hear about why people abandon boats, as often we're not able to get a response from them, but we'd like boaters to know that there is support available for them.

"If they're struggling financially, suffering from health issues or just finding boating a challenge, we'd urge them to seek support so we can try and avoid boats being abandoned."

The charity recommended that people speak to their dedicated welfare team, or organisations such as the Waterways Chaplains, if they needed support.