Boat owner fined for illegally mooring his boat on Ely Riverside

A MAN has been fined for illegally mooring his boat on Ely’s Riverside,

Alan Rayner moored his boat ‘Irene’ on the River Great Ouse in Ely without permission for four months.

Mr Rayner had claimed he could not move the boat, as it did not currently have an engine.

But the Magistrates found him guilty and he was fined £500, plus costs of £300 and a victim surcharge fee of £50 for a breach of the East Cambridgeshire District Council Byelaws.

The Byelaws allow mooring for a period of 48 hours only, with no return for 48 hours.

Maggie Camp, Senior Legal Assistant at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said:

“Mr Rayner first moored his boat ‘Irene’ in Ely in October 2012 but he did not request permission to stay for longer than the permitted 48 hours.

“Unfortunately despite numerous requests by officers to get him to move on, Mr Rayner continued to moor illegally and we were forced to take legal action as a last resort. “We are always disappointed when we have to take such steps, as the council does not want to stop anyone from mooring on the river as long as they only stay for the permitted 48 hour period.

“If someone is having problems with their boat which prevents them from moving, they should immediately ask the council for limited consent to stay whilst those problems are being resolved.

“We can then balance this request against the needs of other boat owners and local residents.”

The Byelaws are applicable to the moorings owned or controlled by the council between Ely High Bridge and the Railway Bridge at Willow Walk, Ely.

Mr Rayner’s boat could have been towed elsewhere where it would not have contravened them.