Clear-out at Thames moorings

THIS time it is the houseboats moored on the tidal Thames at Chelsea that are being cleared-out.

Though the chat show host Graham Norton is backing a campaign to stop the threatened eviction of a number of houseboat owners, the mooring owner, Chelsea Yacht and Boat Company, is intent upon getting rid of 14 of them, Roger Fox tells us.

Appalled

Graham Norton is 'appalled' at this treatment of those who have had their mooring licences terminated, with thousands signing a petition against the eviction.

However, these owners have failed to keep up with regular dry-docking, a condition of the mooring licence, that ensures the boats comply with safety regulations, that Graham Norton seems to have overlooked.

The owner of the moorings stated:

“These boat owners are putting the rest of the moorings at risk by failing to comply with the terms of their licences to keep their boats safe."