A rotten apple

Published: Friday, 04 July 2014

STORIES are circulating of a very over zealous enforcement officer that is very troubling for all boaters on the Trent, adjacent rivers and canals, Ralph Freeman writes.

False accusation

An enforcement officer accused a boater of staying for a week on a 48 hours mooring on the Trent. The boater stated he was indeed at that mooring a week previous, but had just returned from an extensive trip down the Trent. A couple of phone calls could have proved the boater's statement, but instead the enforcement officer implied that the boater was telling lies.

This, apparently, is a common tactic used by this particular officer to intimidate boaters. Presumably he thinks he can still get away with this despite previous complaints against his tactics? Maybe he is correct?

Richard Parry aware

Richard Parry was informed of the situation at the open meeting he held in Nottingham back in February when several boaters complained about the behaviour of the very same member of CaRT's Enforcement Team. This was reported in narrowboatworld by Victor no less.

So, here we are, five months later, and the same officer is still harassing innocent boaters. Just for the record, if the officer (or his minder) had bothered to check the boater's story by making a phone call or two, he would have found the 'offending' boat's name in the lock keepers logs (twice) at both Cromwell and Torksey Locks! But 'why bother with the facts' seems to be his attitude. Not the sort of behaviour one would normally associate with a charity, but many are beginning to realise CaRT is a charity in name only.

Will anything happen?

So it looks like the boater has this enforcement rotten apple 'banged to rights' as they say, but is now too frightened to take matters further. Will CaRT do anything about it now I wonder or will it take a boater with money and guts to drag CaRT through the courts to stop this blatant harassment of liveaboard boaters? Perhaps this CaRT employee ought to be made aware that for some time now there have been laws against the harassment of a person at their home?