Boat owners 'stuck' after narrowboat sinks

Boat owners are "stuck" on a section of the Oxford Canal in Coventry that is blocked by a narrowboat that sank on Saturday.

Five boats have had to moor by the side of the banks - two southbound and three northbound - as they have been unable to move forward.

West Midlands Fire Service said they were called out to reports of a sunken narrowboat in the Oxford Canal between bridges four and five on Sunday.

The Canal and River Trust said a team had been down to the canal to assess whether any fuel was leaking into the water from the stricken vessel and had taken measures to mitigate this as much as possible.

Russell and his partner Pearl said they had just bought their first narrowboat on Saturday and did not expect to encounter anything like this so soon. He said they had been "stuck" since Sunday afternoon.

"We picked it [the boat] up from Trinity and were headed to Lyon Farm to head south to London," he said.

"A day after setting off, we saw the sunken boat and the fire service here on Sunday checking no one was inside.

"Someone has tried to push past it just to get it out of the way so it can be navigable.

"If the Canal and River Trust could just pull it to the side, we could all be on our way."

Russell claimed that items had been removed from the narrowboat since it had sunk.

"There used to be solar panels on the top, and now they are gone. We don't know how it sank or if it's been sabotaged," he said.

And pointing to two planks of wood, he added: "It looks as though someone's used those logs to break the window - it wasn't broken when we first saw it.

"It's one thing to loot something, but it's another to sink someone's home.

"Thankfully there's other boats around because no one else can move either.

"That's given us a bit of confidence and security because everyone else is looking out for each other.

"This is our first boat, and it's a bit scary, but the community has been amazing."

A Canal & River Trust spokesperson said: "It must be devastating for the owner, as narrowboats are nearly always somebody's pride and joy.

"Our charity is in touch with the owner. It is their responsibility, typically through their insurance, to have the boat removed, and they will no doubt want to do that quickly. Getting the navigation back open as soon as possible will also lessen the impact on other boaters.

"Our team has been down to the canal to assess whether any fuel is leaking into the canal, and they are taking measures to mitigate this as much as possible.

"We understand the disruption this may cause to boaters and other waterway users, and we appreciate everyone's patience."

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