Few issues have caused so much upset in Elmbridge as the overstaying boats. There are now over 243 illegally moored boats along the Elmbridge bank of the Thames – twice as many as two years ago – and 90 sunken or abandoned vessels.
Residents complain of fly-tipping, river pollution, aggressive behaviour and the loss of legitimate mooring rights and access to the river. Along some parts of the West Molesey riverbank, boat owners have partitioned off sections of public riverside land, putting up fences with Private and Keep Out signage.
The problem, says the Molesey Riverside Action Group (MRAG), lies squarely with the Environment Agency, which has allowed the situation to mushroom. While neighbouring councils in Kingston and Richmond have moved on with mooring regulations and bylaws, the EA, which owns large stretches of the Molesey riverbank (and all the riverbed), has been ineffectual at enforcing 24-hour mooring regulations.
Sam Laurie
Although it is the EA’s statutory responsibility to register boats, all the sunken vessels are unregistered. Consequently, the cost of removing them (for a sum approaching £1m) will have to be borne by the EA, and therefore taxpayers. With limited budgets, the EA has only managed to remove nine boats over the last six months.
Addressing concerned residents at Hurst Park AGM in March, Esher & Walton MP Monica Harding said: ”When people see nothing happening, they lose faith in politics and democracy.” Her first action on taking up her post last year was to write to the EA’s CEO, Philip Duffy, requesting a meeting and stressing that if the EA cannot carry out its responsibilities, then it should step aside. Several ideas have been mooted for lease agreements to enable Elmbridge Borough Council to manage the riverside, which the Molesey Riverside Action Group (MRAG) strongly supports. Monica and the MRAG have yet to be granted a meeting with Philip Duffy.
If you want to know more about the issue, contact the Molesey Riverside Action Group at mragchair@gmail.com or email your concerns to Philip Duffy at Philip.Duffy@environment-agency.gov.uk.
