FROM April, Kingston Council will charge boats for mooring on its land and introduce extra 'punitive fees' for vessels which break the rules.

The new fee system is being introduced following a high number of complaints from the public over abandoned and illegally moored boats.

It also aims to put boaters off from overstaying their permits or mooring where they aren't allowed to.

The Council says it currently has to engage in costly court proceedings when occupied boats are moored illegally - whereas the new system would introduce charges for boat users who break the rules.

Fees will only apply to visiting or temporary boats which moor up by the town, as occupants of permanent moorings already pay fees to the Environment Agency.

Kingston currently offers visitors free mooring at the Town End Quay and Horsefair Wharf.

Privtate boat docks such as Charter Quay (CQRA Ltd) are exempt from the scheme which applies just to Council-owned land on the Thames riverside.

Most of Kingston riverside is designated 'no mooring' anyway - but this hasn't stopped boaters from mooring illegally and abandoning their boats here in the past.

And just last month, [L]https://kingston.nub.news/n/kingston-boat-owner-fined-800-over-illegal-moorings[l+]a man from Kingston was fined £800[L.] for mooring illegally at Molesey Lock over six months.

As well as regulating temporary moorings, the Council is also planning to introduce a licensing scheme to manage commercial activity on the riverside, according to a list of decisions from the November 11 Place Committee meeting.

In a report issued before the meeting, Council officers wrote: "There has been an increase in commercial activity along the riverside including boat hire.

"The Environment Agency registers vessels but does not control where

commercial activity takes place. "Such activities need to be managed, not least for safety purposes, as accidents and near misses have already occurred, involving hired boats." A consultation by the Council on the planned fees got 392 written responses. A significant majority, 91%, were in favour of penalty charges for overstaying permitted mooring times while 80% supported introducing fees. 78% of the survey respondents wanted to see business activities on the river regulated, while 75% - three quarters - agreed with maintaining Queen's Promenade and Canbury Gardens as no-mooring zones. Kingston Council is also considering introducing new byelaws to make it an offence to moor on land that is designated no-mooring - however, this will take much longer to introduce due to the statutory process around byelaws. Councillor John Sweeney, Portfolio Holder for Business and Leisure said: "Strengthening enforcement powers along council-managed parts of the riverside by introducing managed moorings will help protect our riverside environment and ensure it remains a special place for residents and visitors. "The new scheme will also protect the river, and its wildlife and plants, from pollution, and encourage more people to visit the town by boat. "We're fully committed to maintaining the special character of our riverside. Only last month the council removed two boats that had been illegally moored for a number of months, using existing powers."