Neglectful Broads boat owners face tougher action

Owners of burnt-out vessels could face tougher action under proposals being considered by the Broads Authority

Neglectful boat owners could face tougher action after a large rise in wrecked vessels on waterways over the past four years.

The Broads Authority has proposed new rules to remove "unserviceable vessels" from the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.

Previously, boats with a legal owner were not considered abandoned, even if in dangerous disrepair.

The Broads Authority said the issue was costing it thousands of pounds and that, if the new rules were approved, boats could be removed if owners did not make them shipshape within 28 days.

If approved, the rules would come into force across the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads

The proposals, which will go to a Broads Authority meeting for approval on 29 November, follow a rise in the number of wrecks removed from four in 2020 to 28 this year.

The Broads Authority already has powers to remove unsafe vessels, but these were limited and did not fully address non-compliant vessel issues, a report to its navigation committee said.

It said an increase in people living in houseboats following the Covid pandemic was thought to have contributed to the issue.

At a recent navigation committee meeting, Rob Rogers, director of operations at the Broads Authority, said: “This is a growing problem.

“We have had to build a special compound to break vessels up to make them small enough to dispose of.

“It is an expensive operation, which costs on average £4,000 per vessel.

“These changes will help us remove unserviceable vessels from the network.”

Vessels without a mast, boats with holes or decaying hulls and even craft ridden with mould could be removed and disposed of, if owners failed to remedy their vessels within the notice period, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Other issues that could lead to removal and disposal include:

• Instability

• Missing or inoperable bilge water removal system

• Flooding or uncontrolled leaking into any space

• Burnt-out vessels

• Poor hull integrity

• Vessel leaking fuel or other pollutants into the bilge or the waterways

The authority, responsible for managing the Broads waterways, said it hoped the measures would lead to a reduction in the number of neglected boats, cutting costs and making waterways safer.