‘Scruffy’ houseboat owners refuse to leave Bath beauty spot after eviction threat

Houseboat owners living rent free at a Bath beauty spot say they ‘won’t leave’ and will fight the council that is threatening to evict them.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has branded the vessels dangerous, but the owners believe the real reason they want the boats to leave the site is because their homes are perceived as ‘scruffy and ‘ruin the view’.

They are currently moored near the famous Pulteney Weir and Pulteney Bridge in the Somerset city.

However, those living there say the authorities don’t have a leg to stand on and will flush £1,500,000 away in legal fees better spent elsewhere.

They claim it’s part of a plan to build a new Bath Rugby stadium to replace the old one next to the weir and argue their homes shouldn’t be forced to move as a result.

Ted, 54, who lives on a boat at the site, said: ‘There’s not a health and safety issue – they’re just using that against us. It’s all about the rugby ground, getting rid of the boats and trees.

‘They’re going to move us by September, they’re going to put us somewhere else. They’re not being kind, they’ll use force. I’ve been a boater for years, I’ve been moved before.

‘No one owns this stretch, the council don’t. It’s not about health and safety, it’s about the rugby ground, and because the boats look a bit dirty and scruffy.’

Percy Walton, 67, has lived there for four years. He said: ‘The letter came out of nowhere, it’s awful. There are no other moorings on the Avon so where are they proposing to move everything?

‘We contribute to the area, tourists are always asking us questions and I tell them about the trees. We dispose of our waste responsibly.

‘I’ve been here four years and there have been no health and safety issues at all. They just want us to go because we’re scruffy.

‘These trees here are famous, people come from all over the world to see them and they can’t even tell me which will be chopped down and which will not be.

‘We live here, we’re part of the community, we contribute to it. They’ve not given us another place to go. I think it’s not health and safety, it’s politically motivated. There’s talk of the rugby ground, of a cafe here, it’s dodgy.

‘They told us we had to go by September, and they would help us if they could. It is illegal.’

One claimed that the reasoning provided was ‘all smoke and mirrors’ and the true intention behind the eviction was to allow for the development of the rugby ground.

They said the site is ‘completely safe’ and added: ‘The amount of money they are going to spend in legal action and evicting us, I’ve heard it’s £1.5m but they don’t have a leg to stand on.

‘It would be better, and more efficiently, spent on just making it safer, if that’s the reason they want us to leave.

‘We won’t leave. We’ll put in a planning application to manage it ourselves, manage the mooring, holiday boats, residential boats, tours.’

Another said the boats were good for tourism and the order was ‘penalising a minority’, adding that they are part of the landscape and enhance the view rather than ruin it.

The group said they do not pay to moor at the site as there is ‘free navigation’ but some would be willing to pay to stay.

The council said last week: ‘Boat owners moored there will be supported to move their vessels by the middle of September this year as the moorings are not safe for them to use.

‘The moorings also pose a hazard to other river users. The channel forms a critical part of the city’s flood defenses and is not part of the river’s navigation for boat users.

‘In recent years, a number of boats including holiday rentals have moored along this stretch of the river, despite the council working with boat owners to explain the dangers and installing warning signage at the location.

‘The owners of the rental vessels were asked to leave the area prior to the winter months when bad weather poses the greatest risks, however this was not acted upon.’

Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for sustainability, said: ‘Boats moored in the Pulteney stretch are in danger from the high risk of flooding, particularly during periods of severe winter weather.

‘This could put lives at risk. We want everyone in B&NES to have a safe place to call home and prevent all our residents from coming to harm.

‘We are also concerned about the risk of serious injury in instances where gangplanks are being used on benches, and boats are being moored to grab lines, which prevents those lines from being used as essential lifesaving equipment.

‘By working with boat owners and the Canal & River Trust to help residents move to a safe location, we’re taking action to prevent accidents and protect everyone’s wellbeing.

‘As a last resort, we will take legal action if vessels remain in place beyond the date we have asked them to leave.’