Moorings booze ban continues

THE booze ban that was enforced on a trial basis at Shobnall Fields at Burton, including the Trent & Mersey Canal moorings is to be continued.

It is Police Community Support Officer, Chris Blanksby, who won the second fight to keep it going, defending his application for the order on the land including the moorings and Horninglow Basin, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Disastrous effect

Shobnall Fields has been a regular venue of the Inland Waterways Association 'National', as shown in the above photograph, and a drinking ban rigorously enforced would have a disastrous effect.

Chris Blanksby's report told that drug addicts, alcoholics and youths had been congregating along that particular stretch of land between the moorings and the basin, and had created substantial problems for the police trying to patrol the area, ambulance crews who were being called out to drunks and local residents who felt ‘intimidated' by drunken yobs.

Drinks confiscated

The original order prohibiting drinking was made last year, and regular readers of narrowboatworld may remember that there were questions  as to whether boaters who pulled up to have a picnic with a glass of wine would have their drink confiscated.

However, Carl Smith, Clerk to the parish council, pointed out that the order needed to be 'intelligently policed', as the council did not want to discourage boaters using the moorings due to the minority of drunks.