Court action to remove boats from our waterways

If we know, or there is reasonable likelihood, that a boat is being used as a person’s home, we first engage in correspondence with the boat owners before then proceeding to serve the statutory notices under Section 8 and Section 13 of the British Waterways Acts 1983 and 1971.

These will not be enforced without the prior sanction of the court. We ask the courts to decide on individual cases, which will proceed unless a prior agreement is reached with the boat owner(s). 

Listed below are the details of the cases where we have issued legal proceedings and obtained Court Orders, or the parties have reached an agreement over the last three years. We'll continue to add any future Court Orders received once they have been enforced. 

Note: 

Section 8 of the British Waterways Act 1983 permits us, after giving at least 28 days notice, to remove a craft which is sunk, stranded, abandoned or unlawfully moored on our waterways.

Section 13 of the British Waterways Act 1971 states that it is unlawful to moor or keep any houseboat (defined mainly as any vessel not used for navigation) on our waterways without a valid licence. It further gives us the power to remove or (ultimately) demolish a houseboat if, following proper notice, the owner does not first remove it.