• All were prosecuted for keeping their unregistered boats on the River Great Ouse
• They’ve been ordered to pay more than £6,500
• It brings the total of avoided registration charges recovered by the Agency to £129,000

Register your boat or face thousands of pounds in penalties – that’s the message from the Environment Agency for boat owners flouting the law.

The warning comes as 7 boaters have been forced to forfeit more than £6,500 between them for failing to register their vessels for use on the River Great Ouse.

Boat owners are legally required to register any vessel they keep, use, or let for hire on Environment Agency waterways, and to clearly display a valid registration plate. Not doing so can result in penalties including fines and a criminal record.

Lee Eastwood, residing on the Lowena Dew moored at Downham Market, Paul Dale of Tunstall Terrace in Darlington, Darren Beacroft of Mason Gardens in Kings Lynn, Paul Danahar of Ramsey Road in St Ives, Trevor Hewitt of Railway Road in Downham Market, Terry Whitnall of Pitmansfield in Harlow, and Jessica Ibbotson of Spencer Road in Bedford have each been given 28 days to pay up.

The cases were proved at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 23 August, except for Mr Eastwood’s case which was proved at Kings Lynn on the same day, and Ms Ibbotson’s case which was proved at Luton Magistrates’ Court on 28 August.

Mr Eastwood was ordered to pay £608.79, Mr Dale £878.71, Mr Beacroft £472.49, Mr Danahar £978.98, Mr Whitnall £1,079.99, Ms Ibbotson £535.50, and Mr Hewitt – who owned 2 of the unregistered vessels – had to pay £1,990.99.

So far this year, the Environment Agency has recovered £129,000 in avoided registration charges – funds which are reinvested into maintaining, improving and protecting waterways.

Nathan Arnold, Waterways team leader at the Environment Agency, said:

Our waterways are part of our nation’s rich heritage and beauty, and they contribute to our environment, our health and wellbeing, and our economy.

But boaters who break the law by not registering their boats are putting the future of these historic and precious waterways at risk – so we won’t hesitate to take action against them.

As well as not contributing their fair share towards the upkeep of waterways, unregistered boats can be unsafe, hazardous to other river users and a pollution risk to the local environment and wildlife.

The Environment Agency looks after 353 miles of navigable waterways in the Anglian network, which includes the Ancholme, Black Sluice, Glen, Welland, Nene, Great Ouse and Stour, as well as associated locks and navigation facilities like moorings, showers and toilets.

More information about boating and waterways, including registering vessels, is available from the Environment Agency. If you suspect a boat is illegal, please contact the EA on 03708 506 506 or email waterways.enforcementanglian@environment-agency.gov.uk.

The Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith MP, has appointed Harry Rich as the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. His appointment will commence from 22 September 2018 for a term of no more than four years on a fixed term contract with the possibility of reappointment. Harry Rich will replace Alison White whose term concludes on 21 September 2018.

Harry Rich is an executive coach and business advisor with clients principally drawn from the non-profit, professional services, charitable and creative businesses sectors. Harry Rich is also a non-executive Board member of the Press Recognition Panel, a position he has held since 2014. He also holds a number of positions in the education sector as a trustee for the Open College of the Arts and a Governor for the Glasgow School of Art. Harry Rich was the Chief Executive of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 2009 to 2016 and was the Chief Executive of Enterprise UK from 2007-2009. He is also a qualified but non-practising solicitor.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is an independent, statutory office established by the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. The Registrar is responsible for keeping and publishing a register of consultant lobbyists. The Registrar has a duty to monitor compliance with the requirement to register and a power to undertake enforcement action in instances of non-compliance.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is responsible for overseeing the operation of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. Further information on the lobbying register can be found on the website of the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists.