Raising sunken boat is town's 'Christmas present'

21 December 2025

Martin HeathHertfordshire political reporter

News image — The burnt-out boat was refloated by pumping water out

Martin Heath/BBC Narrowboat with green/brown, moss-covered at the top and a black hull, showing fire damage especially at the bow. There are black covers over the starboard side. It has been refloated and is resting on the surface of the water. There is a bund around the outside of the vessel. There is a smaller motor launch behind. There is a white sign to the right (which says "Strictly no mooring" and trees on the bank. — The burnt-out boat was refloated by pumping water out

People living near the spot where a burnt-out boat sank say its removal after eight months is a "Christmas present" for the town.

The narrowboat, which was moored on the River Lea in Hertford, was ravaged by fire in April and residents have been calling for its removal ever since.

A solution was found after the local MP got councils and other organisations together to come up with a plan.

The craft was raised from the deep on Thursday and pushed from the town centre by another boat.

Although the circumstances of the fire remain unclear, it is believed to have been accidental.

Although someone was living on the boat at the time, no-one was hurt.

The burnt-out shell of the abandoned barge gradually sank until it was barely visible, but there were rumours that children had been jumping on to it from the bank.

Martin Heath/BBC Josh Dean with medium-length dark hair and black-framed glasses, smiling at the camera while wearing a black jacket and white shirt. He is holding an umbrella. There is a river behind him and the stern of a burnt-out boat is visible behind him. There are houses alongside the river beyond. — Josh Dean, MP for Hertford and Stortford, said it was not clear who owned the section of river where the boat sank

The local Labour MP, Josh Dean, organised meetings between local councils, the Environment Agency and the Canal & River Trust.

"The real issue here was that the boat sank in a part of the river where you know there's no-one with clear responsibility and so it took a lot of bringing people together," he said.

Martin Heath/BBC A motor launch being steered by a man in a red coat and woollen hat and pushing a larger, burnt-out boat which also has a person at the tiller. It is passing a narrowboat to the left, which is moored in front of two-storey brick houses. There are further houses in the distance. — After being refloated, the burnt-out barge was pushed down the river by a smaller boat

While removal of the boat would normally be the owner's responsibility, it is believed the owner could not afford the cost.

Hertford Town Council agreed to foot the bill for the operation.

Contractors arrived at 07:00 GMT on Thursday to cover the boat's windows and pump water out so it could be refloated.

It was then pushed along the river by another boat to be removed from the water further downstream.

Martin Heath/BBC Alan Scarisbrick with grey hair and beard, smiling at the camera while wearing a thick black coat and grey woollen hat. He is standing by a river, with a tree immediately behind him. A burnt-out boat is visible to the right of the picture. There is a dark-coloured signpost to the left of the picture in front of a yellow building. — Alan Scarisbrick said pollution from the boat was the biggest worry

Several residents watched the operation from the bank.

Sue Reeve said: "It's like a Christmas present for Hertford, because this is such a lovely spot and it's been an eyesore and now it's going. Wonderful."

Alan Scarisbrick said: "It's been really unsightly, but the more worrying thing has been the pollution that must have been generated when the whole thing sank.

"There's usually loads and loads of ducks, swans and geese here which is lovely for the kids to see and that's all been denied them recently because we've had this horrible old barge."

Martin Heath/BBC Amy Bendall with blonde hair tied back, smiling at the camera and wearing a heavy black raincoat and white top. Behind her is another person in a heavy raincoat and the gable ends of three yellow houses. There is a tree to the right of the picture and a signpost to the left. — Amy Bendall said it had been too dangerous to let her children near the boat

Amy Bendall, who has two children, added: "It's so dangerous, we couldn't let them anywhere near, it was absolutely awful", while Peter Thorp was "glad to see the back of it".

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