Total of 150 abandoned boats removed from Thames

One hundred and fifty abandoned and sunken boats have been removed from the River Thames in the biggest clear-up in more than a decade, the Environment Agency (EA) has said.

Boats are only permitted to stop on the Thames for up to 24 hours at short-stay mooring points, but in West Molesey, in Surrey, some have remained for years, becoming known as "slum boats".

Peter Aron, chairman of Molesey Riverside Action Group, said 23 sunken, wrecked or abandoned boats were being removed from the area as part of the EA action.

Bill Jephson, the EA's deputy director, said: "What I really want to do is see responsible boat owners not leaving this mess behind. That's the real solution."

Aron, who explained that the issue started in the area in 2010, said the boats being removed were "only a fraction of the overall number of unauthorised, overstaying boats on our riverbank".

He believes some people decide in the winter they do not want to pay mooring fees so "disappear".

But Marcus Trower, deputy chair of the National Bargee Travellers Association, said: "There's going to be loads of different reasons why boats were over there during winter, to sum them up as just trying to avoid paying fees is, well, incorrect."

The boats, which were in the Molesey and Sunbury area, were obstructing others from stopping, the EA said.

In April 2024, Staines County Court ruled the vessels were trespassing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ian Burrow, head of culture, leisure and environment services at Elmbridge Borough Council, previously said some boats had been there for years and the local authority had received reports of anti-social behaviour regarding late-night music, generators, dogs, and litter.

The EA said it would take action against those who did not follow the rules and would recover costs where possible.

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