Half-sunken boat left in Leeds canal sparks safety fears as kids use it 'like a playground'

A half-sunken boat lying in a Leeds waterway is causing growing safety concerns for local residents, who say children have begun using the vessel as a “playground”.

The constant cruiser has been seemingly abandoned in Woodlesford Lock and though the local boating community first noticed the issue six months ago, they are yet to see any action.

Glenn Smith, who has been part of the Woodlesford boating community for the past four years, said he has seen children playing on the boat on several occasions despite warnings of the dangers.

“It’s like a playground for them,” Glenn told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“There’s a door lock that can open so they can get inside. If the ties on the side of the boat came loose, it would go under and they would drown.”

As the recent heatwave has seen an increase in water-related incidents, the tight-knit Woodlesford boating community worry that the sunken boat is an accident waiting to happen.

Glenn said he has contacted the Canal & River Trust to flag the residents’ concerns.

Glenn said: “They’ve contacted the owner of the boat so he’s aware but they’ve said they’re not allowed to touch it for legal reasons.

“My concern is whose responsibility would that be if the kids are climbing it and God forbid they drowned or they hurt themselves?”

As a constant cruiser, the half-sunken boat does not have a permanent mooring, however under its licence, it cannot stay in the same location for more than 14 days.

However, the half-sunken boat has been seen by residents lying unmoved for months.

According to Glenn, the Woodlesford boating community has never seen a situation like this before, and they want the boat moved, or at least hazard warnings put in place, to protect local children.

“It’s not just once they’ve been on it, it’s several times,” he added.

“That boat has got some sharp edges - if they fall in, they won’t be able to get out.”

A spokesperson from the Canal & River Trust said: “It’s always sad to see sunken boats on our canals and rivers. Before a sunken boat can be removed, our charity must first make every effort to trace the registered keeper and give them the opportunity to recover it.

“They’re primarily the responsibility of the owner, and our charity recommends all boaters to have appropriate insurance for recovery, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case.

They continued: “Our charity is often left to foot the bill, having to organise and pay for the recovery ourselves, which typically costs £7,000 to £8,000 per boat, although costs can run higher. Ultimately, we would prefer to use this money in our work to care for the canals.

“In the last financial year, we’ve removed 98 abandoned or unlicensed boats from the canal network. We’ve committed to identifying all known sunken boats and developing a prioritised plan to remove them, starting with the higher risk cases and those that can be removed quickly.

“Although we cannot yet give a date for the removal of the boats on this stretch, we wish to reassure canal users and local residents that we are addressing these challenges.”