Rob VP

About as safe as any other Lithium battery. There have been similar incidents with e-cigarettes, laptops, phones etc.. Thankfully quite rare.

I'm not sure when the modern machines came out, but I've not seen a surveyor scrape off blacking to test for a few years now. I work around dry docks so see a lot of surveys taking place.

There is no need for surveyors to scrape off blacking when using modern machines. Most don't.

That is not correct. Steve Harall has never had any connections to GH boat sales.

Michael Clarke is not too far from there and is very good. http://www.northernstarmarine.co.uk

And you think that trumps planning law? Me thinks you are an ignoramus. Stop being so arrogant and look up their planning applications if you don't believe me.

The only residential berths they have are for staff. I suggest you get your facts straight before attempting to rubish me. Planning records are public...

My point is that in previous years there were a lot less people and they were more discreet. Now it is pretty much full and half of the residents don't even realise that they aren't officially residential. It will attract the attention of nosey interfering people from the village. They object to all local planning applications for new houses, so I can't see them approving of a pop up shanty town.

The problem where they ignore planning law and allow hundreds of people to live in an unsuitable location .

They don't have any residential moorings, just 'High Usage' leisure moorings. The fact that even the moorers think they are residential demonstrates the problem.

As a marina that isn't officially residential I think it is only a matter of time before they start to attract negative attention from the locals. They used to discreetly turn a blind eye to liveaboards, now they are very open about accepting liveaboards. In my opinion, the type of people it seems to attract will not help. The amount of people there that actually use their boats for anything other than living on is low, and it has a strange caravan park/council estate vibe to it.

I moored there years ago and more recently had another stay of a few weeks. It is a lot more crowded there now than it used to be. In my opinion the marina has accepted too many liveaboards and are now at the point where the facilities can't cope. Three washing machines between a few hundred boats means there is often a long wait for laundry. Toilets and showers are often filthy, they are cleaned daily but with so many people using them they are back to filthy within an hour. The bins are usually full to overflowing. The car park is always full. For me, it is no longer the pleasant place it used to be, and is on its way to being a floating shanty town.