'Nightmare river could close my boat business'

Rodney Bowles runs day trips on the River Witham in his Boston Belle pleasure cruiser

Overgrown, thick weeds are making sailing on the River Witham a "nightmare", according to a man who runs boat trips from Boston.

During the summer months, a green blanket often coats the river’s surface, but it is now so bad that Rodney Bowles fears he might have to stop operating his Boston Belle pleasure cruiser.

"I’ve been on the river for 80 years, it’s frustrating to see it deteriorate like this,” he said.

The Canal and River Trust said a "warming climate and nutrient rich water" had provided ideal growing conditions, but it was taking action to flush the weed from the river.

The green carpet of weeds returns each summer

The Boston Belle has been cruising up and down the River Witham and out into the Wash for 18 years

Mr Bowles, 83, also operates a smaller boat, the Prince George, which cruises as far upstream as Lincoln, but is unable to operate when the weed is thick.

“It is frustrating, it clogs up the engine,” he said.

According to Mr Bowles, his business will eventually have to close if the weed is not cleared.

“We are just not getting enough money to keep us going,” he added.

Dave Bouttell, 68, says has boat has been damaged by the weeds

Dave Bouttell, a fellow boat owner, said the weed had blocked his filters, shattered a water blade and caused his engine to overheat.

“It cost me £500 to fix the damaged engines from last year’s river weed,” he added.

“I cannot keep affording this kind of money.”

The Canal and River Trust, which looks after about 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and Wales, said it had been monitoring the weed on a daily basis and using sluices in Boston to flush it off the river.

The Canal and River Trust says it is working on an action plan to tackle the weeds

Two years ago, specialist "weed boats" were used to try to prevent the weed from choking the river.

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