Torched sunken cruiser finally located

Published: Thursday, 14 June 2018

THE cruiser that was vandalised, set on fire and  sank in Middlewich has been located and removed.

It was in early May that vandals torched the 20ft cruiser after vandalising it, and it then sank in the Trent & Mersey Canal in Middlewich without trace.

Middlewich sunkHitting an object

It was boaters reporting hitting an object in the water that finally allowed River Canal Rescue to discover its exact location and raise its remains in time for the town’s annual Folk and Boat Festival that runs from 15th to 17th June, as the craft was causing an obstruction. The photograph shows all that was left of the cruiser.

Of the problem, RCR managing director, Stephanie Horton, comments:

“Although we were notified of the incident when visiting the site, we could not locate the boat. It was only when the cruiser had been hit by several boats that Canal & River Trust cornered it off and contacted us, so there was real pressure to move it as soon as possible. Given we had to crane it out of the canal, satisfy the CaRT’s third-party works process and issue warnings and restrictions, it shows what we can do when all parties pull together.”

Be vigilant

In October last year, RCR reported an increasing number of boats being torched or taken by joy riders, and called for boat owners to be vigilant.