Work starts to remove sunken boats from river

Work has begun to remove five sunken boats from the River Avon in Bath.

Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) said the submerged vessels near Pulteney Weir are dangerous to others and pose a pollution risk.

Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: "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 work begins on Saturday and is expected to last approximately one week.

"We're chasing the owners for recovery costs when we know who exactly owns the boats - but we only know one or two of them," Mr Ball said.

The council is hoping to recover the £72,600 costs of the removal once the work is completed.

"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," Mr Ball said.

Several of the boats have been left for several years, and the logistics of such an operation present a challenge, the council said.

"Some of them are in difficult positions and whether we can actually pull them out on Wednesday and Thursday next week is largely dependent on the weather," Mr Ball said.

The same project was attempted last year but was abandoned due to the weather.

The works are being done as part of the council's Better Moorings Project, which seeks to address a range of boat mooring-related issues.

Several other sunken boats along the river have already been removed by the Canal and River Trust.

The council has promised to try to minimize disruption, but sections of the towpath will be closed while the boats are removed.