Boatowners slapped with enforcement notices over illegal moorings on river near Beverley

East Riding Council has issued letters asking people with jetties on the river between Weel Bridge and Beverley Beck to identify their belongings.

The council says the moorings do not have planning permission, in many cases look unsightly and are detrimental to the “lawful users” of the land. They have been given six weeks to remove the moorings along with “associated structures and chattels on land”. Particularly towards the Beverley Beck end, a long stretch of the river has been fenced in by people who berth their boats for free on the riverside, blocking views from the footpath.

The notices say owners have a “window of opportunity for the moorings and associated structures and goods to be removed so as to avoid the commencement of proceedings".

One boatowner told the Yorkshire Post that without his jetty he wouldn't be able to access his boat and would have to move - but he didn't have a clue" where.

He told how he had paid £200 to get the berth in the first place 24 years ago and the notice had worried him so much he hadn't been able to sleep: "It's my only bit of pleasure now – my boat and a bit of fishing. I'm not in the best of health and I don't know what the hell I am going to do."

Another boatowner, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said he understood why the council was taking action and he'd try to find a way of getting onto his boat without the need for a fixed structure attached to the river bank: “It's not just the fencing it's the condition of the boats and the moorings.

“I see the rubbish floating about, it's mess. It's just been unpoliced, people are untouchable basically.”

However he also raised the issue of otters, saying he’d videoed the protected creatures among the moorings, and queried whether works could be carried out without disturbing them.

Meanwhile a regular user of a footpath along the river said he was pleased action was being taken over an “absolute eyesore”. He said: “The fencing really spoils what should be a pleasant riverside walk. It becomes a dark intimidating alley.”

East Riding Council said there had been complaints over “the proliferation of untidy structures” between Weel Bridge and Beverley Beck: “Investigations have identified that large structures and platforms have been erected and a number of enclosures have fenced off sections of the river bank.

“Waste is also being left along the banks of the river. The works are considered to be very detrimental to the appearance of the area and have been erected without the required planning permission.”

The council said some of the land is owned by the Crown and leased to the Environment Agency, which is working with them to address the matter.

Abandoned and sunken boats and junk in the river have been a problem for years. The EA said last year removing boats was the responsibility of boatowners.