PEOPLE living on canal boats on the Bradford on Avon stretch of the Kennet and Avon are calling for an end to evictions from homes on the water.

The boat owners waved placards at the open lock event in the town, which had been organised by the Canal and River Trust.

In 2015, the trust enforced the guidelines stating that boat owners without a permanent mooring would have to travel 15-20 miles over the course of 12 months.

The law under the British Waterways Act of 1995 has not changed, though, and Pamela Smith, who has been living on her canal boat for 10 years, is concerned about the trust’s legal right to seize boats.

She said: “If boaters are deemed to not be complying with the rules then the trust can seize and destroy boats, which would leave people homeless.

"The trust can also make the decision not to renew someone’s licence,” added Ms Smith.

Boaters who live on the canal must ensure they have a valid licence if they wish live on the waterways.

There are about 32,330 boaters on UK waterways, and about 5,000 without a permanent mooring licence.

"The people without the permanent mooring licences face homelessness," said Ms Smith.

"The trust keeps an eye on the patterns in which boaters move and the distances they do," she added.

Matthew Symonds, boating strategy and engagement manager at the Canal and River Trust, said: “We welcome continuous cruising and do all we can to help boaters stay on the water. The guidance for boaters has stayed the same for years, but what we’ve been doing recently is getting in touch with people earlier if it looks like they may be having problems so they can be sorted out.

"We want boaters to talk to us if they are struggling: for example if someone is ill or has broken down we can arrange for them to stay in one place for a little longer. We can put boaters with more severe difficulties in touch with the places that can help, like Citizens Advice or specialist organisations, and we often agree different arrangements on a case-by-case basis.

“The waterways are for everyone and we need to manage them fairly otherwise it would be chaotic in popular places like Bath: it would be neither fair nor feasible for everyone to bob around a small area indefinitely, for potentially very long term reasons like work or school.

"A roaming lifestyle can be wonderful but comes with its own challenges and we’d urge people to think hard about the practicalities before they begin a life afloat.”