Sally Ash blames hire boats

THE fight to have Canal & River Trust abandon its proposals for draconian mooring restrictions in its South East Region took a dramatic twist yesterday, with boaters appearing on both television and radio to condemn the consultation, writes Allan Richards.

Two boaters appeared on television and another on a radio station. CaRT's Head of Boating, Sally Ash was also interviewed, but only on radio.

BBC TV

Two liveaboard boaters, Mike Doherty and Paul Hut, were interviewed on BBC London local news with one saying that the restrictions, if implemented, would severely impact his family life as he worked in London and had children attending school.

The other commented on CaRT's attempts to marginalise liveaboards.

BBC Radio

However, it was Louise Yeoman of Cowley and Uxbridge Boaters, who has a home mooring in South East Region, that really put the case for all boaters. Speaking on BBC Three Counties Radio (Reberto Perrone) she stated that CaRT had failed to show the need for change.

Sally Ash who was interviewed later in the program, agreed there had been 'murmurings' from boaters. Surprisingly, bearing in mind that few hire boats are to be found in the south of South East Region, she also claimed that inconvenience to hire craft necessitated the need for change.

Rogue charities

Perhaps the BBC should commission a series 'Rogue Charities' and make a program on CaRT.

Here we have a senior employee of the Trust who is also known to be a director of a company, Drifters Leisure that sells holidays on behalf of a consortium of hire boat companies. Both CaRT and Drifters Leisure claim that Ms Ash does not benefit financially from this directorship. Both CaRT and Drifters claim that CaRT does not benefit either.

However, what is known is that Sally Ash and up to 200 (British Waterways) employees have benefited. They have benefited in the form of free holidays. CaRT and Ms Ash have also benefited from the hire industry in a sponsored cycle ride.

...is it payback time?