THERE HAS BEEN A DEMAND for powers to enforce boaters to stop emptying cassette toilets into the canals.
People in Bath living near the the Kennet & Avon Canal tell that have seen boaters emptying excrement into the waterway, and want powers to enforce rules on canals to stop such antisocial behaviour.
Witnessed by residents
The residents living close to the waterway have told they have witnessed boat owners emptying cassette toilets into the canal.
It is understood it is those boaters that fail to move their boats under the 14 days rule that are responsible.
Already this has been brought up in Parliament by Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, who told that householders had also reported problems including loud music late into the night, bonfires and vandalism.
This could be tackled in the new Crime and Policing Bill.
One local resident told the BBC that she was shocked by what she recently saw from her back garden:
It's disgusting
"There was a boat moored just opposite us for quite some time, and he emptied his toilet into the canal. It floats down to the lock and gets stuck by the gates. It's just disgusting."
A Canal & River Trust spokesperson told its powers can be limited in certain areas so they work with the Environment Agency.