Fly-tipped boat astounds motorists

Motorists were left bemused and astonished to see a 6m-long (20ft) cabin cruiser boat fly-tipped on the side of a rural road in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

The vessel, which contained furniture, appeared overnight on High Side, between Gorefield and Parson Drove, near Wisbech.

Debate on social media suggested heavy rain might have helped bring the boat across the fen, while one person suggested it might have been won on TV darts show Bullseye, which was well known for its top prize of a speedboat.

Fenland District Council said the boat was reported to it on Monday and, after placing cones around it for road safety reasons, it was removed that day.

The boat was not blocking the carriageway, but the council's contractors placed orange traffic cones around it with yellow tape as lots of large agricultural vehicles and lorries use the road.

Social media was awash with comments after pictures of the dumped vessel appeared on Facebook, with posters saying there must have been "a hell of a tide", "maybe deposited by a tornado" and "can't dock there, shipmate".

"In the last couple of weeks, two caravans stuffed with rubbish have also been dumped in Fenland," a council spokesperson added, while appealing for information.

The council said abandoned vehicles cost the taxpayer significant amounts of money to clear away.

It added that it took reports of fly-tipping very seriously and aimed to prosecute those responsible, which could result in a prison sentence or unlimited fine.

The local authority said it offered a household bulky waste removal service to help people to get rid of waste responsibly.

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