Third misfortune

BOATER Philip Morris has had his third misfortune on the Avon at Tewkesbury, being stranded in the floods that recently took over the river again.

Readers of narrowboatworld may remember the report that he had been stranded whilst ill in the July floods of the river, then whilst away recuperating had his narrowboat broken into, with its contents ransacked and anything of any value stolen. Even his bed had been used.

But now his boat was again caught in the floods, this time taken in the rising water and dumped onto a concrete yard. Being away at the moment, he is not sure what will happen, but realises it will need a crane to lift the boat back into the water, when he finally returns.

His own fault

However, it seems he has not helped himself as he is a continuous moorer, with Clive Matthews, General Manager of the Avon Navigation Trust, confirming that he had not paid for a safe mooring, adding:

"It's an example of what's happening more and more across the country when people buy a boat and don't have it moored at a proper mooring."