Calls for 'disgusting' towpath to be cleaned

Beer bottles, tyres, broken furniture, empty propane cans, coffee cups, a computer monitor and full rubbish bags are among the eyesores that can be seen on a stretch of Thames Path in Reading.

Green councillor David Clarke has called on the Environment Agency and Reading Borough Council to clear the area.

The litter is centred around boats moored on the riverside, some without the authorisation of the local authority.

Reading council said it continued to work with partners to improve the overall environment along the Thames.

Clarke said people have contacted him about the state of the path around the confluence of the Thames and the Kennet.

"I hear words like 'disgusting', I hear words like 'intimidating', I hear words like 'I don't want to go there anymore' and that's really sad...," he said.

"It is a beautiful waterway. It has lovely bird life, it has lovely wildlife. It should be an area that our town really cherishes.

"Some of those river users have claimed the towpath."

"There is some anti-social behaviour there to a point where local residents don't feel that can enjoy that bit of towpath in the way they should be able to," Clarke added.

"Some of these people have been living here in excess of a decade and call it home and it's not right to just move them on. I think there are some river users who actually are responsible and aren't littering and aren't intimating residents."

In a statement, Reading Borough Council said it recognised concerns about long-term unauthorised mooring but it was not a "straightforward issue".

"Where the council owns the riverbank land, it has legal rights as a landowner to address unauthorised mooring and occupation of its property, and may consider a range of civil remedies, including trespass proceedings, possession proceedings and injunctions," it said.

"There may also be circumstances where planning enforcement powers are relevant.

"However, there can be complications, such as where boats are occupied as homes, meaning enforcement action must take a range of legal considerations into account."

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "Our officers are actively tackling issues on the Thames and have removed more than 150 sunken, wrecked and abandoned boats from the river over the past year.

"We continue to work with local authorities, landowners and partner organisations to support action on unauthorised mooring and other issues affecting local communities."