HERE is a picture of one of the boats daubed in paint by an angler on the Staffs & Worcs Canal because it was was moored on the favourite fishing spot of the vandal.
I have also heard of a boat that has been vandalised on the Ashby Canal for the same reason, to the North of Market Bosworth, writes Ralph Thomason.
Criminal damage
This is absolutely unacceptable. It is not just vandalism, it is criminal damage. This is not sharing the canal.
I do not, of course, assume all fishermen are like this, but...and this is a very big but. Behaviour like this simply cannot be tolerated, cannot be excused, cannot be allowed.
Behaviour like this is the kind of behaviour that prevents all others from continuing to pursue their line of freedom, as the line has been crossed, and that particular freedom is taken away, as is what happens in this day and age.
Absolutely no right
The boat owners, in both cases, had every right to moor where they did, the fishermen had absolutely no right to cause such criminal damage to the boats.
If one parked in his favourite space at the local supermarket, would one come back expecting to see ones car vandalised for being in 'his space'?
This needs to be raised, treated very seriously by Canal & River Trust. This is criminal damage, against the law.
CaRT needs to take action
CaRT need to contact all anglers organisations, associations and clubs that have fishing rights to any canal waters everywhere in its jurisdiction about these incidents.
They should be told that this is a very serious matter, and fishing rights of the canal waters will be withdrawn on any area that suffers vandalism; be it to the infrastructure of the canal; or any boat upon its water.
Cannot go unnoticed or unchallenged
I am calling to all, via the pages of narrowboatworld, that in absolutely no way on this earth can this go by unnoticed, unchallenged, or with no reply from CaRT.
'Canals for all' is the mantra of CaRT.
Not at this cost it isn't.
If CaRT do nothing about this, then I see trouble ahead. A lot of trouble.