Attn London Boaters -Tottenham (& now also Bulls Bridge)

[Lady Muck]

Firstly, to say - I don't want to unnecessarily panic people, because as long as you are careful you should be fine, BUT.

 

A bit of background:

 

We have a big homelessness problem in Tottenham and Edmonton and have done for the past three or four years, mostly Eastern European men, they came over here for building labouring work, which dried up because of the credit crunch. They don't qualify for benefits and they can't afford to rent anywhere or go home. So they are squatting locally, when I say squatting, it tends to be derelict buildings, tents, makshift shelters made of pallets you name it. We have many, many booze wholesalers in the area and they are using these men as cheap labour and often paying them in alcohol, so it's a disaster waiting to happen, really.

 

Now it's starting to get cold out there and some of the popular places for squatters have been fenced off and we have seen people eyeing up the boats. At least one unattended boat has been broken into, squatted (we don't know how long for but they left an awful mess), they strew some of the contents in the bushes next to the boat, defecated in the boat, tried to hotwire and steal it and the owners had to spend a long time clearing up. There have been some thefts and some men have been seen trying to figure out how to get over the fence into some of the moorings.

 

We're just asking people to be vigilant. The police are aware and I have to say they are absolutely brilliant, they are asking that if anyone sees anything suspicious to let them know and they are patrolling constantly.

 

If you are a weekender and need to leave your boat unattended, if I were you I'd moor in the Stonebridge pound or the Stonebridge Lock end of the Tottenham Lock pound., opposite my marina or by the canoe centre, we watch any boats that are moored near us and there are people around here day and night.

 

Don't leave your boat unattended or not moved for long periods of time, people who don't know boats may think it's abandoned and may break in or worse (we had a bad fire on a boat that was left in near Tottenham lock for three months, a couple of years ago). Do not leave valuables on the boat or on display if you can help it. It's all common sense really.

 

If you see anything phone Tottenham Copshop.

 

Thanks

[WJM]

Good advice and very well presented. Nice to see some fairness and balance in a comment.

[Mac of Cygnet]

I had an odd incident in that very area last summer. A very pleasant Eastern European lady with three kids said her children had never seen inside a boat, and would it be alright for them to have a look? Well, I'm not exactly a trusting soul, but I don't like being nasty to polite people, so I let them, as my only excuse, the dog, was already fawning all over them. But I got the idea that the kids weren't really all that interested, and it was her that wanted to have a look inside. So despite all the smiles, and "Say Thankyou"s, I concluded that the joint was being cased, and moved on.

[Lady Muck]

We know many of the homeless up here, pretty well, infact we boaters spend quite a bit of time talking to them, one of the cruisers up here runs a homeless charity in Kings Cross.

 

Thing is, when boats get vandalised or squatted, it doesn't tend to be the shiny weekender ones, these are desperate people looking for a place to sleep where they won't be disturbed. So they don't go for a boat that looks lived on (well they haven't yet). If they steal it tends to be anything that can be sold on ebay or for scrap.

 

So if you left your do-er upper for months on moorings that aren't opposite a marina, on a lonely bit of towpath, near where street drinkers congregate, you are more likely to be broken into.

[Lady Muck]

Good advice and very well presented. Nice to see some fairness and balance in a comment.

 

We Tottenhamites are not drama queens. We prefer to tell it how it is. *cough*

 

But: feel free to write your own sensationalist assumption filled ''OMG OH ONEZ YOBS!!!1111!!!'' version.

 

Be my guest.

[Toddlesocks]

Unfortunately it will take much more than common sense for boats to be safe on the towpath at Tottenham at the moment.

 

So far there has been two attempts to squat on boats , 8 boats i know of have been burgled, 6 with live aboard boaters, and a van in the car park . The gang is hanging around the towpath for hours a day taking whatever opportunity they can. I have seen them going along the towpath at all times of day and night casing the boats, they are known to kick the boat to see if it is occupied ( so don't assume it is the wind).

 

Last weekend two broke into a boat at Springfield and one was caught trying to dismantle the boiler but it does not seem to have stopped them 2 days later the rest of the gang returned.

 

The police i would not say have been brilliant,for the amount of trouble i would have expected to see more patrols along the towpath. They have not even bothered to re contact a witness (who removed them from our boat) for an ID parade they were supposed to be setting up, hardly surprising some boaters are now tooling up!

[Lady Muck]

was just leaving tonight when I heard of another theft -this time a genny from a boat that is being fitted out.

[Toddlesocks]

Oh no its really getting out of hand .

 

It also appears to be more than just the polish gang who are very opportunist and sloppy leaving doors off ect, some this week have appeared far more planed.

[matty40s]

Oh no its really getting out of hand .

 

It also appears to be more than just the polish gang who are very opportunist and sloppy leaving doors off ect, some this week have appeared far more planed.

Quotes from Londonboaters ....

I was talking to a boater at Tottenham Hale earlier today. Her boat was broken into a couple of weeks ago, and I understand that several other boats have suffered the same fate recently, mostly between Tottenham Hale and Springfield.There are a group of Polish people who have been sleeping rough in the bushes at Tottenham Hale. Apparently one of them was arrested breaking into one boat, but the others haven't been caught. People whose boats have been broken into have had tools, laptops etc. stolen, and some people have had their boats squatted, and have had to chase the intruders away.

I was moored at Tottenham Hale shortly after the boat was broken into, and I saw some of these people sleeping in the bushes. It seems the bedding they were sleeping on, plus some other things, were taken from that boat. One of them introduced himself to me as Robert and said they were Polish. He was tall and slim, aged about 30. The other was shorter, stocky and his head was partially shaved. A friend of mine warned me about them so I moved away. I realise that this is mostly second-hand, but I have heard very similar things from a number of people in this area in recent weeks. It would seem not to be a good idea to leave a boat unattended in this area at the moment. Also, we should be particularly vigilant, even if moored with a large group of other boaters.

Tony

 

 

There has also been a spate of crime incidents once again between Broadway Market and Old Ford Lock beside Victoria Park. This was followed up by 2 visits by Police officers from different stations distributing advice.

 

It's looking rather challenging down there, I was living there 12 months ago, glad I'm out.

[Radiomariner]

was just leaving tonight when I heard of another theft -this time a genny from a boat that is being fitted out.

 

 

Oh no its really getting out of hand .

 

It also appears to be more than just the polish gang who are very opportunist and sloppy leaving doors off ect, some this week have appeared far more planed.

 

I was examining a boat on the Lee south of Springfield. I put my equipment bag down on the towpath while I climbed down the steep bank to a little boat with my briefcase and manometer. Scroat on a bike tried to make off with my bag. Fortunately my bag was too heavy for him to steer straight and accellerate standing up on the pedals. He wabbled all over the quite wide tow path and eventually slammed into a high wall. It was extremely comical to watch, I wish I had a camera (It was in the bag!) At that point he gave up put the bag down, muttered some sort of apology and that he was taking it to a lost property office, jumped back on his bike and sped off. I assure you he was no Eastern European!

.

Edited October 14, 2011 by Radiomariner

[Toddlesocks]

Radiomariner its very good to hear you still have your equipment bag.Unfortunately I experienced the Springfield bike trick when we were moored at horse shoe bridge a few yeas ago, put my shopping down to pull the boat in and a young guy on a bike snatched a bag, nothing of much value but very inconvenient.

 

One great thing about Tottenham is it is a very good boating community, everyone looks out for each other. A few of us take it in turns to patrol the towpath especially in winter nights, not much is going to go unnoticed or unchallenged around here so I do still feel comfortable being moored here.

Edited October 15, 2011 by Toddlesocks

[J R]

was just leaving tonight when I heard of another theft -this time a genny from a boat that is being fitted out.

 

Sadly at the Western end of the K & A there have been several genny thefts over the last couple of weeks. Just shows that you have to be vigilent wherever you moor.

[NB Willawaw]

This is one of the reasons, I won't attend boats inside the M25 circle using a car (the only exception is if I can get the tools I need in a knapsack and go on the train, as I did in St.Katharines recently).

[blackrose]

A bit of background:

 

We have a big homelessness problem in Tottenham and Edmonton and have done for the past three or four years, mostly Eastern European men, they came over here for building labouring work, which dried up because of the credit crunch. They don't qualify for benefits and they can't afford to rent anywhere or go home. So they are squatting locally, when I say squatting, it tends to be derelict buildings, tents, makshift shelters made of pallets you name it. We have many, many booze wholesalers in the area and they are using these men as cheap labour and often paying them in alcohol, so it's a disaster waiting to happen, really.

 

That's not quite true - at least it's a bit of a generalisation.

 

Nationals (or citizens) of the accession states (or 'A8' countries) that joined the EU in 2004, came under special rules that applied until 30th April 2011. These affected their rights as workers and so also affected their rights to housing and benefits. These are the accession states:

 

Czech Republic

Estonia

Hungary

Latvia

Lithuania

Poland

Slovakia

Slovenia.

 

On 1st May 2011, the rules changed and - effectively - accession state workers are now treated in the same way as other EEA workers and they now have the same rights as other EEA citizens from that date. (However, in the cases of employees and jobseekers different rules apply to people from Bulgaria and Romania.)

 

EEA rights to access UK social benefits may depend on their record of work in the UK and may be different according to whether they are: currently in work, have worked but have retired, have worked but are currently unemployed or sick, or have never worked here but have come to the UK to look for work. If they have worked in the UK and then became redundant or became unable to work for specific reasons, they may sometimes keep their worker status.

 

Adapted from: Housing Rights Information - New Arrivals

http://www.housing-rights.info/02_7_A8_nationals.html

Edited October 15, 2011 by blackrose

[debbifiggy]

Sadly at the Western end of the K & A there have been several genny thefts over the last couple of weeks. Just shows that you have to be vigilent wherever you moor.

 

I would also caution boaters using the 24 hr moorings at Bulls Bridge on the Grand Union Canal in London in the Hayes/Southall area immediately opposite the entrance to the Paddington Arm and those using the 14 day moorings on the opposite bank close to the old Toll House. Do not leave your boat unattended if possible. We currently have a big problem with rough sleepers and drug addicts who have a colony under the nearby A312 similar to the problems at Tottenham on the River Lee. If you are going shopping if possible leave one person on the boat and/or do your shopping promptly. The police are aware and are making regular visits but I am aware that there have been some not so nice experiences. When I'm back in the area I will try and get a better understanding of the current situation and will make a post regarding this.

 

D

[Lady Muck]

That's not quite true - at least it's a bit of a generalisation.

*snip*

 

It might not be true of everybody but it does tend to be true of the rough sleepers. I have spoken at length to one of the boaters who runs a hostel in Kings Cross who obviously knows a lot about what is going on in the capital. Course it doesn't help that we've something like 300,000 families on the council housing waiting list (and no council housing to speak of).

 

We've had some horrendous squats going on up here, like something out of the 19th century.

 

We've had men living under bridges too like Debbi is describing, up here on the Lee. And if you get the train into London from Bishops Stortford you can make out squat camps in the woods through the trees.

 

Thanks for keeping us informed, Debbi, have edited the topic title to reflect your news.

Edited October 15, 2011 by Lady Muck

[Guest wanted]

The rough sleeping population is visably on the increase across london. If you cut housing, jobs and services then this is what happens. The strand looks, well as if the tories have got back in! I'm not excusing criminal behavior and I hope everyone keeps safe but I think we'll see more and more of this.

[Bob the welder]

The rough sleeping population is visably on the increase across london. If you cut housing, jobs and services then this is what happens. The strand looks, well as if the tories have got back in! I'm not excusing criminal behavior and I hope everyone keeps safe but I think we'll see more and more of this.

sad

[Guest wanted]

If anybody wishes to help.....

http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/christmas.html

[Smelly]

 

 

Adapted from: Housing Rights Information - New Arrivals

http://www.housing-rights.info/02_7_A8_nationals.html

 

The problem with this is Jobcentre Plus say "no" first and leave it to appeal, that takes months; sometimes years to sort out... The people in the midst are stuck in the doody and hence problems such as are discussed arise.

[Dekazer]

If anybody wishes to help.....

http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/christmas.html

 

I can't recommend this highly enough, especially for any single boaters out there I've been to many 'Crisis' wedding, and even met my own fiance there . Plus it's more necessary now than it has been in years..

[Guest wanted]

I can't recommend this highly enough, especially for any single boaters out there I've been to many 'Crisis' wedding, and even met my own fiance there . Plus it's more necessary now than it has been in years..

This year will be quite odd for me as I am taking a break after 16 years. I do this line of work full time now so for my own sake I need some time out. But I completely echo what you have said, Crisis at christmas is one of the most inclusive volunteering experiances going. And yep, been to a few crisis (not literal!) weddings myself.

 

Rob

[sebrof]

This year will be quite odd for me as I am taking a break after 16 years. I do this line of work full time now so for my own sake I need some time out. But I completely echo what you have said, Crisis at christmas is one of the most inclusive volunteering experiances going. And yep, been to a few crisis (not literal!) weddings myself.

 

Rob

 

So you can do good, and meet girls at the same time?

 

Publicise this, and you'll be swamped with volunteers.

[Guest wanted]

So you can do good, and meet girls at the same time?

 

Publicise this, and you'll be swamped with volunteers.

I think we may have hit upon an idea....

[jeannette smith harrison]

Good on you both Lucy & Wanted

Iv been involved with Crisis for over 30 years now, going back to the days with soup kitchens

& Centre Point.Its not just the young homless. Often elderly people with no family call in & they are

often very lonley at this special time of the year. A smile & a nice chat with a cup of hot tea

makes their day. Surprising how good it can make you feel as well & realise all the every day things you

have.You dont even have to go into Central London as centers are open is surrounding areas & other Towns.

On a diffrent note Bulls Bridge Tescos was unable to open on time this morning due to the fact that someone

overnight had tried to force the doors & shutter open.