Isle of Man increases harbour fees to 'discourage boat neglect'

The increased fees will come into force next month

Boat owners who berth their vessels against a harbour wall on the Isle of Man will face a rise in charges from April after Tynwald approved the move.

Fees charged per metre of the craft will rise from £16.50 to £20, the infrastructure minister said.

Tim Baker said higher fees would discourage the "neglect and abandonment" of boats.

He added that the rise was "good value" when balanced against the cost of maintaining the harbours.

Supporting the move, which will come into effect on 1 April, Marlene Maska MLC said the island's charges had always been "deemed to be very low" compared to other ports around the Irish Sea.

Mr Baker said work to deal with abandoned boats was currently paid for from "the public purse", which was ultimately passed on to other harbour users.

He added that "no significant problems" with the rise had been raised by key stakeholders, including the Harbour Users' Association and the island's yacht clubs.

Increases for most other harbour dues and fees will rise by an average of 2%.