FIVE BOATS HAVE sunk in the Avon in the past five years in Bath alone.
So work is progressing in removing these boats, Janet Friend reports.
Hazard to navigation
The boats are in the pound near Pulteney Weir where the boats are proving a hazard to navigation and pose a pollution risk.
Bath and North East Somerset Council is attempting to claim back a total of £70,000 in compensation from the boat owners for the operation of removing them, though some of the owners are trying to recover the boats themselves to avoid being charged for the council's work.
The five boats, which were illegally moored, have been underwater for the past five years, two of them sinking after the excessive flooding in the river last year.
Rescue his own boat
One boater, Dunstan Bertschinger, hired scuba equipment and with the help of friends was able to rescue his own boat and so save the council cost of removal that he thought 'excessive'.
The work of removal is expected to be completed this week.