Contractor given £165k to remove wrecked boats

Work is to begin to removing some of the disused boats lining some rivers, foreshores and waterways.

Councillors in Cornwall unanimously agreed to appoint a licensed contractor to dismantle and dispose of wrecked and unserviceable boats in waters off Truro and Penryn.

Martyn Alvey, vice chair of the Cornwall Harbours Board, said the cost of removing wrecked boats was likely to reach £165,000 over a three-year period, with £55,000 having been budgeted for the next financial year.

He said the initial focus would be on wrecked boats before the board acted on unserviceable boats moored up in the council-owned ports and harbours.

The board has designated 10 vessels as wrecks and six further as unserviceable in Truro and Penryn waters.

Councillors agreed Cornwall Council's maritime team would continue to monitor vessels identified as at risk, including 23 vessels in Bude, Penryn, Penzance and Truro.

The board said the team would identify owners where possible and instruct them to take responsibility for their vessels.

The team would escalate any unserviceable boats if their condition deteriorated and inform the contractor to dispose of them if they became wrecked, it added.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.