Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

'Non-cruisers' are starting to cause problems.

The Kennet and Avon Canal is facing problems caused by increasing numbers of moored boats on the canal, especially between Bath and Devizes.

British Waterways (BW) has been carrying out a consultation on how to deal with moorings for both residential users and cruising boats.

BW was supposed to present the results of their consultation and explain what they want to do next at a meeting in Devizes Corn Exchange last Tuesday evening.

Representatives of the boating communities as well as parish and county councillors attended to hear the proposals. However, Damien Kemp of BW began the meeting by announcing that, after all the consultations and meetings to consider their earlier consultation document, nothing was to be done. Instead, BW want to set up a series of panels to consider the problems faced by different user groups along the canal.

The feeling of the meeting was that BW has brought the problems on itself by failing to enforce existing rules, and that there was little point in developing new rules if these too would be ignored by a minority of boaters.

However, the problem under the present arrangements is that Wiltshire Council has little jurisdiction over the canal itself (but is expected to find school places for any children as boaters are granted the legal status of 'nomadic travellers' (the same legal definition that covers gypsies), whereas the real power lies with BW. If BW actually enforced their by-laws and forced canal users with 'cruising' licences to actually cruise, and not moor-up for weeks or months at a time at one spot, the problem could largely be solved overnight.

However, I expect that the 'human rights' of the boating travellers would stop such a simple solution....