Lancaster death was boat rage

Published: Friday, 17 July 2009

THE latest twist to the tragic story of the boater's death on the Lancaster Canal is that it was boat rage, with two narrowboats attempting to get into the moorings and colliding.

The police have now released the information that it was David Tweddle, 56, who collapsed on his boat after an altercation with another boater following a collision, Alan Tilbury relates.

It was a nearby nurse on the towpath who tried to revive David, hearing a commotion on the towpath and rushing to his aid, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Fellow boaters at the moorings relate that David had 'said his piece' after his cruiser was rammed by a narrowboat trying to moor, which turned into an heated argument which led to an altercation, after which David collapsed.

Though paramedics took over from the nurse, they were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The narrowboater was arrested on suspicion of murder.

David and his wife Agnes, who are from Carlisle, had been moored on the Lancaster Canal at the No Way Marina in Carnforth, for more than four years.

The pair were part of a group of other boaters that had cruised to Garstang for a holiday break.

However, Detective Chief Inspector Jo Edwards, who is leading the investigation, revealed:

"Mr Tweddle is believed to have been involved in an earlier incident with another boater prior to his collapse. At this time the death is being treated as suspicious and the full circumstances of events are not known."