Date published: 2025-08-14 | Category: Bath, Environment and Clean Air, Focusing on prevention, Tackling the climate and ecological emergency, Water safety
Bath & North East Somerset Council has begun formal proceedings to recover £55,000 in public money that was spent on removing sunken boats from the River Avon in Bath earlier this year.
Four boat owners have been served with formal demands requiring them to either settle their debts in full or agree a repayment plan.
The boat removal operation near Pulteney Weir was completed by the council in May after the abandoned boats had posed a hazard to other river users and a pollution risk to the water for many years.
Boats are the responsibility of boat owners and not the council.
Before the removal operation was carried out, the owners were approached by the council on multiple occasions over an extended period and given the opportunity to recover their vessels themselves within a designated self-recovery window, however this was not actioned.
The owners were also given advance warning that they would be required to repay the costs if removals were completed by the council.
Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable B&NES, said: “Boat owners are responsible for the maintenance and environmental impact of their vessels. These sunken boats had been creating a hazard in the waterway and posing a risk to its ecology for a long time, which is why we made every attempt to work with the owners over many months to arrange self-recovery before removing the boats ourselves as a last resort.
“We also informed the owners at every stage that failure to recover their vessels themselves would result in the council seeking recovery of the costs. The removals have cost the council approximately £55,000 and we hope to avoid having to take legal action to recover the money.”
The boat removals were part of the Better Moorings Project which seeks to address a range of mooring-related matters in Bath and North East Somerset.
The formal recovery proceedings are being carried out in line with the national protocol on Pre-Action Debt and the council’s own Debt Policy.
Find out more about moorings in B&NES.
ENDS