An unauthorised floating encampment, linked to reports of antisocial behaviour and alleged illegal activity, has been removed from the River Lee Navigation near Bow Locks in an operation costing waterways charity Canal & River Trust in the region of £40,000.
Teams from the charity, supported by private security personnel, Metropolitan Police officers and a dog handler, carried out the operation under s8 of the British Waterways Act 1983. The floating structure had been attached to third party land on the offside of the navigation, and the operation took place amid concern for the welfare of dogs, intimidation of residents and individuals accessing the site across private land.
Items recovered included an extensive pontoon structure, a stolen boat, a second unlicensed boat, two tenders, gazebos and scaffolding erected on site. An XL Bully-type dog was controlled by the dog handler and passed to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets dog warden. Other items located at the site were recovered by police units for further investigation.
The removal itself took place on Thursday 8th January 2026 and involved protracted legal processes which began last autumn. Although the operation has cost the charity in the region of £40,000, the items recovered are of low value, and little of that sum is likely to be recoverable.
Matthew Aymes, the Trust’s National Licensing Compliance & Enforcement Manager, said:
“This structure and the individuals associated with it were causing significant disruption to the local community and law-abiding boaters nearby. I’m delighted that we have been able to use the appropriate legal processes to remove it, despite attempts by those involved to impede our teams through intimidation and physical obstacles including chains and locks.
“Operations like this place a significant financial burden on our charity at a time of falling income and rising costs, but we will not hesitate to stand up for our boating customers and waterside communities in using our powers to challenge such activity on our network.
“I’m grateful to the Metropolitan Police teams who supported the operation both on the day and through intelligence-sharing at the planning stage, as well as to the many Trust colleagues who helped ensure it passed off peacefully and decisively.”
