Bathampton boaters 'being punished' after bin removal

Canal boaters in Bath say they are being "punished for the deeds of a minority" after bin collections were stopped.

Canal & River Trust (CRT) removed bins on the Kennet and Avon canal in Bathampton, Somerset, on 11 March.

Bath and North East Somerset Council and the trust said the site was a "regular target for fly tipping".

The council's leader said Bathampton and boater communities have been "failed".

More than 350 people have signed a petition calling for the "much needed" bins to stay open, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The petition said some of the boaters "spend their evenings" tidying other people's rubbish.

It added some had witnessed "small vans emptying their waste at night or cars pulling up at all hours of the day to throw bins over the low wall and straight into or on top of the containers.

Jason Pannell, who lives on the canal in Bathampton, said removing the bins was "not the best move" and instead, the canal trust should be securing the bins to stop others from fly tipping.

"These bins have been here for years and everyone's put in lots of letters to CRT directly about putting a roof and extra locks on to make it more secure," he said.

Mr Pannell said the environmental impact of removing the bins was "huge", there would be "just more rubbish at the other sites" and local boaters would have to drive around two miles to get rid of their waste.

In a joint statement, the council and the trust said they were working together to resolve the situation.

Kevin Guy, the council's leader and who represents the the area, said the site had become a "rat-infested fly tip".

"After years of negotiations it is apparent to all parties that the Canal & River Trust have failed to manage this site appropriately," he said.

"They have repeatedly failed to address the concerns of the parish council, residents, and the boater community".

In their joint statement, the council and trust said: "Both the Canal & River Trust and Bath and North East Somerset Council are working together to try and resolve this issue which has to balance the needs of boaters, the Bathampton community and the environment.

"The trust is responsible for the management of the bins which are on council-owned land. Sadly the site has become a regular target for fly-tipping and other vandalism.

"The trust is looking at alternative solutions including improvements to increase capacity and security at the nearby Dundas refuse facility."

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