Barby on the box

BARBY Moorings, a marina located on the North Oxford Canal, has been the subject of the first of a new TV series, The Legaliser. The consumer affairs series features barrister Gary Bell QC helping claimants as they take their cases through the small claims court.

It was about two years ago that TV production company, Fulcrum, approached narrowboatworld following its article (The Barby Moorings shambles) The company was attempting to identify boaters who had lost money due to the marina's false claims regarding facilities that did not exist. Following an appeal by our Allan Richards on Canalworld Discussion Forum three boaters agreed to take part in the program with one agreeing to be guided in making a claim via the small claims court.

Facilities not available

More than half the first program was devoted to Gary Bell guiding boater Sue Williams through a claim for £2,648 via the small claims court. Sue had sold her house and purchased a narrowboat in order to live at Barby Moorings based on its claims that all facilities would be available for her arrival in the autumn of 2011. As the photos show this was not the case!

The program also featured two other boaters with fairly similar stories. One, a bi-lateral amputee was taken in by claims of extra wide pontoons. In the event the marina had no pontoons on his arrival.

Out of court settlement

Sue Williams' case never came to court. Based on advice given she elected to use the courts confidential arbitration service to which Tony McMaster, Barby Moorings' owner agreed. Sue expressed her satisfaction with the outcome.

More than two years after it opened, and despite an Advertising Standards Authority ruling concerning misleading advertising, Barby Moorings is still claiming that it will provide a Restaurant Lounge/Bar, Cafe, Launderette, Toilets, Showers, Shop, Chandlery and a workshop at an unspecified later date. However, these are all amenities that were promised on opening day.

'Somewhere different'

As one boater has pointed out, Barby Moorings advertising claims it is ‘somewhere different'. That is certainly true.

What other marina can claim almost 90,000 views on a thread that has run for over two years on Canalworld Discussion Forum?

[The Legaliser (episode 1), which features Barby Moorings and a modelling agency scam is available via BBC iPlayer until 2nd December.]