A charity says the decision to make the owners of sunken boats pay for them to be recovered from the River Avon in Bath is “victimising” some of the most vulnerable people in the area.
One of the sunken boats in the river | Photo © B&NES Council
As we reported earlier this month, Bath & North East Somerset Council announced it would be carrying out a recovery operation near Pulteney Weir where five sunken boats were causing a hazard to people using the river, as well as a posing pollution risk.
The council said it would be seeking recovery of £72,600 for the removals once the operation had been completed.
Julian House has responded by a publishing a statement on its website, saying it seems that prejudice against travelling communities has become the last ‘acceptable’ bastion of discrimination in England, and it wants to tackle this “head-on”.
The charity says some media outlets had reported how “selfish’ people had left their abandoned sinking boats to rot in the river, forcing the council to pay for their removal.
It says: “At a time when the council is having to make deep cuts to public services in order to stay financially afloat, it is clear why this spend – seemingly to clear up the mess of a small sub-section of the community – may cause frustration.
“But we need to take a step back and remember that, behind each of these sunken boats, is an individual who has lost everything. These boats were generally people’s homes.
“There are myriad reasons for living on a boat, but a small minority of those taking this step do so to solve an accommodation crisis and avoid or escape rough sleeping.
“Some of these boat owners are known to Julian House: they were surviving on very low incomes, lacking the means to keep their boats in good repair and have anything more than the most basic insurance, if they had any at all.
“They certainly could not afford salvage fees when the worst happened. They were not selfish; they were vulnerable and struggling. “
The charity adds: “We have seen a marked increase in these cases in Bath over the recent years – we believe as a direct impact of the cost of living and housing crises.
“These people feel they have no alternative but to take on whatever shelter they can access – often these boats are in poor condition, unsafe and uninhabitable; the new owners lack the means to improve them. Many are not experienced in boat handling and maintenance.
“We regularly meet people living in leaky boats with no heating, electricity, running water or toilet facilities, but they feel they have nowhere else to go.
“Often these people have additional support needs, which means they struggle to comply with the strict regulations of the inland waterways; many have previously faced enforcement action by Canal and River Trust.
“This drives them to stretches of river like the area downstream of Pulteney Weir, which is not managed by a navigation and licensing authority.”
Julian House says its Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Boater (GRTB) Outreach Service is almost unique in the country in terms of the support it provides for vulnerable people to overcome systemic barriers to support and benefits – yet it is only funded to employ one part-time staff member covering all travelling communities in B&NES.
“The demand for support often outstrips our capacity. Despite limited funding, our small but mighty team is still providing incredible support. In 2023-24, across B&NES and Wiltshire, we supported 139 people in travelling communities; referred more than 180 people to receive support winter food and fuel costs; and helped 30 boaters with chronic health conditions or disabilities to apply for adjusted cruising patterns.
“We are limited by our funding, but we can offer compassion and support to help vulnerable individuals live independently and with dignity in sustainable accommodation of their choice – be that accessing support to make their boats safe, habitable and fully licenced/insured, or navigating them back to a housing pathway, whilst addressing any underlying support needs.”
Julian House adds: “Pursuing these individuals for recovery of the salvage costs is likely to be a very expensive, and ultimately fruitless exercise for the council. If the owners are traced, they are unlikely to be able to pay these costs.
“It only serves to further victimise some of the most vulnerable people in B&NES.”
Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “We have been in talks with the boat owners and discussed the direct needs of each one to ensure that we have provided support as necessary – none was needed.
“We are not able to continue to tolerate the pollution and impact of having a number of sunken boats, many for an extended number of years, within this stretch of the river and were forced to take action as a last resort.
“We want to thank those boat owners who have cooperated with us during the removal.”
