Report Unlicensed Boats!

[MartinClark]

British Waterways is urging boaters to report boats that are not licensed.

 

One of the problems that has been found in the past is that some boats not displaying a licence or displaying an out-of-date licence are in fact licensed, which wastes time for enforcement officers.

 

To help get around this, a new online report page has been introduced where you can check whether a boat is licensed and report it if it is not.

 

If you see a boat that you think may not be licensed, go to BW's online checker and enter the boat's registration number. The database will then tell you whether the boat is licensed. If it is not, you will be invited to enter details about the boat's location so that a licence inspector can investigate.

 

If the boat is not showing a registration number, you can enter the location and details such as the boat's colour, etc. so that it can be investigated.

 

It has been infuriating for boaters who pay their licences promptly to see other trying to get something for nothing. If a boat in unlicensed it may also lack insurance and a boat safety certificate. BW has been having a purge on boats that are unlicensed or which overstay at moorings, with the enforcement team having been strengthened.

 

On the north west's waterways15 boats have been seized and impounded in four months and £180,000 collected in unpaid licence and mooring fees.

 

BW's Jane Thomson says: "We are acting in the interests of our canals and customers by reducing the number of unlicensed and derelict craft blighting our waterways. Every penny is being ploughed back into maintaining and improving the network for everyone."

 

To find out more about buying a licence, licence conditions, etc. see www.britishwaterways.co.uk/license-it

 

Link to BW's online checker.

[denboy]

Do we get a prize for spyingsubmitting nectar ponts or air miles perhaps

Edited October 15, 2008 by denboy

[alan_fincher]

Who is going to be first to report that when they key in their own fully licenced boat number that it comes up and says they are an evader

[homer2911]

British Waterways is urging boaters to report boats that are not licensed.

 

One of the problems that has been found in the past is that some boats not displaying a licence or displaying an out-of-date licence are in fact licensed, which wastes time for enforcement officers.

 

To help get around this, a new online report page has been introduced where you can check whether a boat is licensed and report it if it is not.

 

If you see a boat that you think may not be licensed, go to BW's online checker and enter the boat's registration number. The database will then tell you whether the boat is licensed. If it is not, you will be invited to enter details about the boat's location so that a licence inspector can investigate.

 

If the boat is not showing a registration number, you can enter the location and details such as the boat's colour, etc. so that it can be investigated.

 

It has been infuriating for boaters who pay their licences promptly to see other trying to get something for nothing. If a boat in unlicensed it may also lack insurance and a boat safety certificate. BW has been having a purge on boats that are unlicensed or which overstay at moorings, with the enforcement team having been strengthened.

 

On the north west's waterways15 boats have been seized and impounded in four months and £180,000 collected in unpaid licence and mooring fees.

 

BW's Jane Thomson says: "We are acting in the interests of our canals and customers by reducing the number of unlicensed and derelict craft blighting our waterways. Every penny is being ploughed back into maintaining and improving the network for everyone."

 

To find out more about buying a licence, licence conditions, etc. see www.britishwaterways.co.uk/license-it

 

Link to BW's online checker.

 

This is a start, and is to be applauded.

Edited October 15, 2008 by homer2911

[grahoom]

[greywolf]

how low would someone have to be to do this.

[Chertsey]

So they are now blatantly expecting us to do their job for them. Not just pick up the phone, but check the database first! If I was the sort of person who approved of going round turning people in, I think I might baulk at that aspect of it. After all, that sort of person doesn't like to see anyone - even (especially?) BW - get something for nothing!

[Jason Wilson and Family]

And unto the busy-bodies quoth BW "Thou shalt stab thy neighbor. Repeatedly and with a sharp blade shalt thou do it and in his back shall it be done. For we hath not enough wealth to squander on thine 'protection' and thine 'enjoyment'."

 

The way BW has been wasting money on pointless projects, every boater should consider not paying.

[MoominPapa]

Who is going to be first to report that when they key in their own fully licenced boat number that it comes up and says they are an evader

Not quite, but when I checked Melaleuca's number, it correctly tells me that its a known number and not currently licensed. Since Melaleuca is moored on the Middle Level at the moment, that's fine, but I am slightly amazed that we were not contacted when the license expired. Maybe BW should have a canal equivalent of the SORN system?

 

 

MP.

[MartinClark]

So they are now blatantly expecting us to do their job for them. Not just pick up the phone, but check the database first! If I was the sort of person who approved of going round turning people in, I think I might baulk at that aspect of it. After all, that sort of person doesn't like to see anyone - even (especially?) BW - get something for nothing!

I'm not here to defend BW - only to pass this on to you, but I find this response puzzling. Are you happy to pay your licence and then see other people trying to get away with paying nothing? It's theft and they are stealing from BW and from other boaters.

 

I seem to recall hearing lots of people over the last few years complaining that BW was doing nothing about all the unlicensed boats and continuous moorers. Now people are complaining that BW is doing something about it!

 

If someone sees a boat that seems to be unlicensed they can find out if it is or not. If it bothers them that the boat is unlicensed they can get something done about it. If it doesn't bother them, then they don't have to.

[gaggle]

we are warned against vigilantee action in normal life ,why is it to be encouraged on the towpath.

it will end in tears or worse.

[Lady Muck]

I'm not here to defend BW - only to pass this on to you, but I find this response puzzling. Are you happy to pay your licence and then see other people trying to get away with paying nothing? It's theft and they are stealing from BW and from other boaters.

 

I seem to recall hearing lots of people over the last few years complaining that BW was doing nothing about all the unlicensed boats and continuous moorers. Now people are complaining that BW is doing something about it!

 

If someone sees a boat that seems to be unlicensed they can find out if it is or not. If it bothers them that the boat is unlicensed they can get something done about it. If it doesn't bother them, then they don't have to.

 

Well there are probably one or two freeloaders aren't there?

 

But not everyone that doesn't pay is 'trying to get away with paying nothing', there is some awful poverty on the waterways, it's not that long since I was working a lock somewhere when I heard a boater mention that he hadn't eaten properly for over a week.

 

I don't want to judge someone for a situation they might be in that I know nothing about.

 

There's such a lack of compassion for the poor in general, usually from those who are comfortably off.

[alan_fincher]

I seem to recall hearing lots of people over the last few years complaining that BW was doing nothing about all the unlicensed boats and continuous moorers. Now people are complaining that BW is doing something about it!

Martin,

 

The bizarre thing is that BW already know pretty well what boats are on the system, and hence which are licensed, and which are not.

 

This must be so, as they produce regular statistics, broken down by area, showing percentage unlicensed, (IIRC to at least one place of decimals).

 

They have patrol officers with little hand-held devices, and regularly trawl the network entering index number and locations of boats.

 

I bet if I give them the number of a boat, they can fairly quickly give a pretty good idea where it will be found.

 

So if they truly wanted to do anything about the high percentages of unlicensed boats, they could do so from data they already have, and input from Joe Public would add little to that.

 

This looks more like a smokescreen "look we are being proactive about this" exercise, than a genuine bid to trap non-payers. My guess is that snitching up any particular boat is unlikely to increase much any chance of action being taken against it. They already know it exists, they already know it's unlicensed, and they already know where they last recorded it as being. All they actually need is the will to turn that into action.

[MartinClark]

we are warned against vigilantee action in normal life ,why is it to be encouraged on the towpath.

it will end in tears or worse.

 

Vigilante action suggests you and your mates going out and sorting the buggers out yourself rather than giving information to BW so that they can deal with it.

 

This is not unique to the towpath, it is encouraged in other walks of life, such as on the Department for Work and Pensions' Report benefit fraud online page. You can report benefit cheats online or via a freephone hotline.

 

Other things you can do online include:

- Report unlicensed vehicles on the public highway

- Report suspect activity to MI5

Edited October 15, 2008 by MartinClark

[denboy]

the thing is you i and the majority of folks pay our way and there are a few out there who do kick the ar*e out of it now i pay bw for a service which should include them checking on licenses so why should we be policing the system for them after all you would not go to a restaurant and cook the food yourself now i know of 4 unlicensed boats here abouts(2years or more) the bw patrol man knows about them bw know about them and what have they done nothing

[Iain_S]

We put Copperkin's number in and got response "Boat is licensed, but may not be displaying"

A quick way to avoid being reported might be to display the index number of another (licensed) boat

 

Iain

[homer2911]

how low would someone have to be to do this.

 

 

If you were employed and paid taxes, and living next-door to an entire able-bodied family living on benefits, would you be annoyed?

 

If you have a boat that is licensed, insured, has a current test certificate, and where relevant, a mooring permit, are you not bothered about boaters that couldn't give a stuff? Freeloaders whose non-payment of their dues keeps your boating costs higher than they might otherwise be?

 

If you travel the system, every day you will see evidence of p*ss-takers who want all the experience of the waterways without bearing their fair share of the costs.

 

Here's an opportunity to clamp down on the parasites.

[Jason Wilson and Family]

I'm not here to defend BW - only to pass this on to you, but I find this response puzzling. Are you happy to pay your licence and then see other people trying to get away with paying nothing? It's theft and they are stealing from BW and from other boaters.

 

I seem to recall hearing lots of people over the last few years complaining that BW was doing nothing about all the unlicensed boats and continuous moorers. Now people are complaining that BW is doing something about it!

 

If someone sees a boat that seems to be unlicensed they can find out if it is or not. If it bothers them that the boat is unlicensed they can get something done about it. If it doesn't bother them, then they don't have to.

 

That's the thing, BW still AREN'T doing anything about it. They're telling YOU to do it. There are things worse than a few boaters not paying their fees and encouraging neighbors to spy on each other in some hair-brained scheme to offload the responsibility elsewhere lists as one of them.

 

... Freeloaders whose non-payment of their dues keeps your boating costs higher than they might otherwise be? ...

 

Absolute bollocks. British Waterways keeps your boating costs higher than they should be and they use non-paying boaters as their cover. How much money do you would save if BW could do one job well enough that it doesn't necessitate a second, third or fourth try. How much money do you think you would save if BW had printed all the signs they needed and sent a minimal crew around ONCE to put them all up instead of sending a crew with paper signs, then laminated paper signs THEN the real signs. Better yet how much would you have saved without the pointless things??

 

I'm not even a boater, hell I'm not even in the country and I have a list as long as my arm of stupid projects and wastes BW has presided over. Then when the fingers start to point the right direction they do something like this and set boaters against other boaters.

 

Let them police it if they need it so bad.

[greywolf]

If you were employed and paid taxes, and living next-door to an entire able-bodied family living on benefits, would you be annoyed?

 

If you have a boat that is licensed, insured, has a current test certificate, and where relevant, a mooring permit, are you not bothered about boaters that couldn't give a stuff? Freeloaders whose non-payment of their dues keeps your boating costs higher than they might otherwise be?

 

If you travel the system, every day you will see evidence of p*ss-takers who want all the experience of the waterways without bearing their fair share of the costs.

 

Here's an opportunity to clamp down on the parasites.

 

Like bankers who's greed has screwed more out of the country than they were entitled to and have left behind a mess that the common people have to try and clear up. I was employed i got made redundant 18 months ago i got six months job seekers allowance for my 18 years work i now just get my stamp payed provided i can prove i am seeking work. It would not bother me in the slightest living next door to able bodied people living on benefit, but i am a unreformed socialist.

[homer2911]

That's the thing, BW still AREN'T doing anything about it. They're telling YOU to do it. There are things worse than a few boaters not paying their fees and encouraging neighbors to spy on each other in some hair-brained scheme to offload the responsibility elsewhere lists as one of them.

 

 

 

Absolute bollocks. British Waterways keeps your boating costs higher than they should be and they use non-paying boaters as their cover. How much money do you would save if BW could do one job well enough that it doesn't necessitate a second, third or fourth try. How much money do you think you would save if BW had printed all the signs they needed and sent a minimal crew around ONCE to put them all up instead of sending a crew with paper signs, then laminated paper signs THEN the real signs. Better yet how much would you have saved without the pointless things??

 

I'm not even a boater, hell I'm not even in the country and I have a list as long as my arm of stupid projects and wastes BW has presided over. Then when the fingers start to point the right direction they do something like this and set boaters against other boaters.

 

Let them police it if they need it so bad.

 

Well, as a non-boater you can't be expected to know that BW are actually putting more people on the ground to identify defaulters, and if I, as a fully paid up boater, can do anything to eradicate the free-loaders, then I am happy to do it. Yes BW spends money on stupid things, and we will all make our voices heard in protest at that, but that is not an excuse to stand by and watch parasites work the system.

 

Like bankers who's greed has screwed more out of the country than they were entitled to and have left behind a mess that the common people have to try and clear up. I was employed i got made redundant 18 months ago i got six months job seekers allowance for my 18 years work i now just get my stamp payed provided i can prove i am seeking work. It would not bother me in the slightest living next door to able bodied people living on benefit, but i am a unreformed socialist.

 

 

Ok, let's all embrace your socialism, and all live off benefits. Oops, I forgot - who will pay the taxes to provide the benefits? Not all taxpayers are fat-cats you know. Hell, thousands of them are pensioners!!

[US Marines]

British Waterways is urging boaters to report boats that are not licensed.

 

BW's Jane Thomson says: "We are acting in the interests of our canals and customers by reducing the number of unlicensed and derelict craft blighting our waterways. Every penny is being ploughed back into maintaining and improving the network for everyone."

 

No problem with paying licences at a DEMONSTRABLY fair price - and no problem with policing this as efficiently as possible (though I am worried about creating mistrust in the boating community).

 

I am however interested in whether or not the money from boat licences goes into a pot that is dedicated (hypothecated ?) to the BW budgets specifically allocated to 'network maintenance' and 'network improvement'.

 

Can you please confirm to us whether or not this is the case ? Thank you.

 

Please be aware that, if this is not the case, and the licenence money goes into a pot that gets used for things outwith these specific budget items, then I will consider Ms Thomson to have lied to us - and to you.

[Malarky]

Well, as a non-boater you can't be expected to know that BW are actually putting more people on the ground to identify defaulters, and if I, as a fully paid up boater, can do anything to eradicate the free-loaders, then I am happy to do it. Yes BW spends money on stupid things, and we will all make our voices heard in protest at that, but that is not an excuse to stand by and watch parasites work the system.

 

What is so bad about freeloading? Ok I accept in most cases it could be bad for you'r self esteem but does that realy affect others? I get myself in situations where I can't afford basic stuff sometimes, like a home for example, so in the past have stayed on unlicenced boats and contributed to their safety and maitenance. I've never claimed benefit, in fact I possibly barely exist! When I work on contracts sometimes, I pay emergency tax as I have no address! I bet you'd think I was one of these freeloaders!

[greywolf]

Ok, let's all embrace your socialism, and all live off benefits. Oops, I forgot - who will pay the taxes to provide the benefits? Not all taxpayers are fat-cats you know. Hell, thousands of them are pensioners!!

 

i agree we all work we all get payed the same benefit!we can then all afford to own our own boats and pay the various fees.Oops that communism,hmm worth a try? Is state pension a benefit? i worked for 18 years at the shop before being made redundant and hopefully will work again though at 50 i am finding that difficult,why do i want to work,because it gives you a better level of living than on benefits and gives you a good feeling of worth,i merely state that i do not find the thought that others are existing on benefits annoying, i do however find over payed people who polish there backsides on the chairs in there offices and vote themselves big bonuses annoying.

 

Unlicensed boats cost the system nothing as the system would still be there if they were not.If every unlicensed boat was chased up then a fair proportion of them would leave the system all together with no net gain to BW or you but the upkeep would still be the same cost wise.May be instead of berating others who cannot pay you should count your blessings that you can afford to do so.

[US Marines]

Unlicensed boats cost the system nothing as the system would still be there if they were not.If every unlicensed boat was chased up then a fair proportion of them would leave the system all together with no net gain to BW or you but the upkeep would still be the same cost wise.May be instead of berating others who cannot pay you should count your blessings that you can afford to do so.

That's a well made point - maybe BW could offer an equivalent to 'housing benefit' in reduced price/free licences to low income boaters.....?

[tidal]

I believe I can reply to BWs suggestion in one short and relevant phrase

 

****** that for a game of soldiers

 

Please feel free to insert an appropriate expletive of your choice