March 6, 2025
By Harry Mottram: Cycling or walking along the canal path or the by the banks of the River Avon in Bath are one of the most attractive ways to see the city and countryside. But for those who travel along these paths the activity of spotting and remarking upon the cruisers, water craft and narrow boats there are some unfortunate blots on the waterscape: the sunken boats, the rotting hulks and capsized craft – long neglected and left slowly decay. Now Bath & North East Somerset Council are to remove five sunken boats from the River Avon in Bath will beginning on March 15 to end the pollution of leaking oil and diesel and the danger of sunken boats to passing craft and wildlife.
Last year the BBC reported on local Gary Braund who lives along the river and said he has spotted more sunken boats: “Oil, diesel, petrol, comes out of them. Rubbish – empty cans, empty bottles – it all drifts down the river.” Heavy rain and floods have in the past and in 2024 caused boats to become submerged when their mooring lines drag them down as water levels rise. If there are people on board they would normally adjust the ropes but some boats have absent owners who don’t check up on their craft.
The Council said: “The recovery activity is part of the Better Moorings Project which seeks to address a range of mooring-related matters in Bath and North East Somerset.”
They added: “The works will be carried out by specialist contractors and are expected to be completed in one week, although timescales are dependent on weather. The towpath and the Pulteney waterway will remain open, and disruption will be kept to a minimum. Mooring in the Pulteney stretch of the River Avon remains closed due to health and safety concerns. All boat owners moored in the area have been advised of the risks and were encouraged to vacate the area prior to the winter.
“Owners of the five sunken boats have been approached by the council to give them the opportunity to recover their vessels but this has not been completed. Successful removal of any sunken boat is a complex, dangerous and technical operation requiring time, specialist skills, and specialist equipment to achieve safe removal.”
Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “The sunken boats have been creating a hazard in the waterway and posing a risk to its ecology for a long time, however they are the property of the boat owners who are responsible for them. We have exhausted our attempts to work with the owners to arrange self-recovery, so as a last resort we will be carrying out the operation on their behalf. The removal of the boats will ensure the waterway is safe for others to use and will reduce the levels of artificial waste in the river.
“The Pulteney stretch of the river is the primary flood defence mechanism for the city and between late October and March, carries an increased volume of water with river levels regularly exceeding the height of the bank. This is a dangerous stretch of river for boats to moor in, especially in winter, which is evidenced by the findings of a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) report.”
“We appeal to all boat owners to safely moor at recognised and officially open mooring sites, monitor their moorings regularly throughout the winter season, ensure their boat is fit for the water and it is fully insured inclusive of salvage.”
The council will be seeking recovery of £72,600 total costs for the removals after the operation has been completed.
There were a number of complaints about sunken boats near Pulteney Weir through last year following the January 2024 floods which saw river levels rise – and complaints about the poor state of some of the narrow boats.
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
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Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Telegram, TikTok and Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
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