AN unnamed man says several boats will be removed from the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal next week, which could make nine or 10 people homeless.

The boats are set to be moved to Bridgwater Marina. The action comes after the boaters received notices from the Canal and River Trust. 

The trust says all boats were asked to leave the docks when its lease of Bridgwater Docks expired in March 2021. 

The affected boats were temporarily allowed to stay for free under an ‘approved extended stay’ arrangement, which has now ended. 

The notice received by the man said: "According to the Trust records, you do not have a mooring where you can lawfully leave your boat and as advised in our previous letters, The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal is not suitable to meet the requirements of a 'continuous cruising' licence.

"You should now remove your boat from waterways owned are managed by Canal & River Trust, within 28 days of this letter. Should you fail to remove your boat the Trust may start court proceedings to get an order that will enable the Trust to remove your boat from its waterways."

The man says the boaters were then told that one boat had already been lifted, and another is due to be lifted this Friday (March 24). 

He says a young man will be left homeless because his father recently died and left him the boat, but he cannot secure a mooring. 

He said: "A guy died whose son's boat is up on Ebay. He is 22 years old that was his home."

A spokesperson from Bridgwater & Taunton Canal said: "When the Canal & River Trust’s lease of Bridgwater Docks from Somerset County Council ended in March 2021, the Council stipulated that all boats must leave the Docks.

"Boats that moved onto the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal without a permanent place to moor had been temporarily allowed to stay free of charge by the Trust under an ‘approved extended stay’ arrangement.

"This approved extended stay ended on January 31, 2023. 

"The Trust has been helping the affected boaters throughout this difficult period by looking at options for new permanent moorings along the canal and keeping in regular contact.

"Unfortunately, the nature of the canal means that options for extra permanent moorings are limited.

"Similarly, the length of the canal also means that it is impossible for the boats to meet the guidance for boats without a home mooring by continuously cruising from place to place. So, boats on the canal need to have a home mooring.

"Unfortunately, having exhausted the options available, it meant that a small number of boats without a home mooring were required to leave the canal by January 31, 2023.

"The Trust has been in regular contact with everyone affected during the process."