Councils to fine 'continuous moorers'

BOTH March Town Council and Fenland District Council are considering imposing fines on overstayers at their managed moorings on the Nene.

The councils allow free mooring of 36 hours at their sites, but boaters without moorings, known as 'continuous moorers' are staying for weeks surrounded by their detritus which the councils maintain is having a negative effect on tourism, Alan Tilbury reports.

Limited moorings

These boaters of course prevent visiting boaters finding mooring space which is limited on the river, meaning that the towns and their shops lose custom.

It was March Town Council that raised the issue with Fenland District Council, which owns the moorings, as the overstayers prevented other boaters from being able to access the busy moorings, with some boats being moored for a considerable time.

Civil law approach

March Town Council councillors say that visiting boats unable to find space is having a negative impact on tourism for the town and local businesses, so Fenland District Council has launched a consultation on proposals to bring in a civil law approach to the way it manages its moorings and enforces the visitor mooring period by taking a more robust approach and issuing fines to overstayers.

The council is now proposing to keep the existing provision of a free 36 hour visitor mooring, but with a specified ‘no-return’ period for 48 hours on the moorings at March and Whittlesey.

Fined for every 24 hour overstay

Moorers will be logged and those overstaying the 36 hour limit will be fined for every 24 hours that they overstay, with these rules clearly signposted at the moorings and enforced by the council, and should the proposal be agreed it will come into force on the 1st of April.