Boaters terrorised by motor cyclists

BOATER Gary Liddle tells he was panic-stricken by motorcyclists who terrorised his wife and himself whilst moored on the Fens Branch at Brierley Hill.

He had been moored on the short Stourbridge Extension for a few days, and had noticed the occasional motorcyclist using the waste ground with their bikes and occasionally passing close by on the old towpath.

Splattered by mud

But at dusk on Wednesday (14th December) there were five on an assortment of motor bikes, and they came down the towpath, turned their rear wheels to his boat then accelerated with obviously their front brakes on, as the boat was spattered by mud from the spinning rear wheels.

Gary exclaimed:

"They kept riding off and coming back, and doing the same thing again, shouting and swearing, and it was obviously a combined effort to intimidate us, that they certainly did.

"When I went out onto the deck, one immediately brought his bike round with the intention of covering me in mud, but I ducked back, which seem to upset him as he started banging on the hull, but I thought it would have been dangerous to accost him as they were either drunk or drugged-up, they way they were behaving."

No identification

Gary tells that though he tried to get some identification, none of the bikes had number plates, so he was unable.  But after they had gone, even in the dark, he moved the boat away from the area, mooring at the top of Stourbridge Locks, attempting to get the mud off the boat.

The following day they dropped down onto the Staffs & Worcs Canal, where they stated they felt a lot safer.