A disabled boater at the centre of a nine-hour canalside standoff last week has been given a new deadline to leave Wiltshire's waterways.

The Canal & River Trust sent in around 20 employees and contract security staff in a failed mission to remove George Ward's two unlicensed boats and evict him from its network on April 19 - even drafting in armed police at one stage.

Now a new notice demands Mr Ward leaves the 2,000-mile network of canals and inland waterways the Trust owns or manages by Tuesday, May 2.

It was delivered at 7.40am on Monday morning and, like previous letters, threatens him with imprisonment and liability for removal costs if he fails to comply.

It also reminds him he is liable to be arrested if he breaches a restraining order granted by Salisbury Magistrates' Court on January 19.

Last week the Trust's national customer support manager Matthew Aymes attempted to enforce a court order granted on January 23.

The Trust successfully removed his 70ft workboat The Celtic but was unable to do likewise with the 50ft March Hare after Mr Ward locked himself inside the cabin and refused to leave.

Afterwards, Mr Ward said he was staying put for the time being and was in "no mood to be bullied."

Wiltshire Times: An armed police officer speaks to George Ward. Photo: Trevor Porter An armed police officer speaks to George Ward. Photo: Trevor Porter (Image: Trevor Porter)

In his latest letter, dated April 24, Mr Aymes says: "As you know, you were required to remove your boat from the inland waterways owned or managed by the Canal & River Trust by no later than March 23, 2023.

"Sightings of your boat March Hare show that it is still on our waters. We therefore now require you to remove your boat from our waters no later than May 2, 2023, failing which we will remove it using our powers under Section 8 of the British Waterways Act 1983 and/or Section 13 of the British Waterways Act 1971 without further notice to you and you will be liable for the cost incurred.

"The removal will take place not less than seven days and not more than 27 days after the date of this letter."

Mr Ward says he was only unlicensed for five months from May to November 2022 following an incident on November 27 2020, when he was accused of being abusive and threatening trust staff, and his licences were cancelled.

He said: “My licences were cancelled by the Canal & River Trust on December 18, 2020 but they were fully paid for until end of April 2021.

“They refused to refund any money and my property on the canal towpath was ‘stolen’ from me on April 12, 2021.

“On April 16 2021, the CRT’s customer service representative in Gloucester, stated that I could relicense my boats. I then paid for both licences in full to begin on May 1 2021, valid until end of April 2022."

“The Canal & River Trust started the Bristol County Court case to evict me on November 8 2022, the paperwork was delivered to me January 6, 2023.

“Therefore, my vessels were unlicensed only between May 1, 2022 and November 8, 2022. Would you call this long-term licence evasion?”

Mr Ward has repeatedly accused the Trust of using bullying, intimidation and harassment methods to remove him from the canal network.After Mr Ward failed to remove his boats by March 23, the Trust gave him a ‘final warning’ on March 27 ordering him to remove them by no later than April 5.

It is believed The Celtic has been taken to a storage depot near Chester that the Trust uses for canal boat removals.