THE Mayor,  Nigel Carter, of Wiltshire Council wants Canal & River Trust to remove unlicensed boats from the Wharf in Devizes.

He has written to the Canal & River Trust to complain that several boats are moored in the town without the correct licence and little is being done to remove them, Alan Tilbury reports.

devizes wharfMoored for two years

There is one narrowboat that has been illegally moored at the wharf for two years, he complaining:

 “The stay is one of unprecedented length and is causing unrest among other licence holders who feel that their potential use of the Wharf is being denied unfairly."

Failing

It really does seem that the Trust is failing to tackle the problem of both unlicenced and overstaying boats, with many reports of excessive flouting of its rules and little done about it, as this occurrence too clearly illustrates.

The picture taken in 2001 shows the wharf moorings then available for visiting boats...