Self pump poo tank

[colmac]

Moored on the Coventry. Walked the dog earlier and watched a bloke on a big old boat use a hand pump to pump his pooh tank out into a ditch behind the towpath. Don't think he was aware he was being watched as he was acting a bit furtive. As soon as he was finished he quickly put the pump rig away. The subsequent smell was awful as I walked by. Question; has anyone else ever witnessed this ? The concern is there is a river on the ditch side of the towpath and I would hate to think that the contents of his pooh tank would get into a watercourse. Maybe there is some ancient statute that allows boaters to pump poop ? Don't think so really. What does the panel think ?

[Jim Riley]

Nonono report him.

[Graham Davis]

No he shouldn't do it.

He needs reporting to CaRT.

[Heffalump]

Agreed, that's all kinds of nasty

[pearley]

Here on the Great Ouse, sea toilets are still permitted.

 

We use cassettes and empty them at the marinas, not in the river.

[OldGoat]

[Rant ON]

 

One of the few topics that really gets my goat (no connection....).

With more and more folks coming onto the waterways and who have no intention of moving much, if at all - how do you think they can deal with bodily waste?

 

It's exacerbated by said folks who don't really have appreciation for the different lifestyles. In a house, flat, whatever, your stuff gets carried away either by some men in a truck - dry waste - or down the drain. Both of which eventually 'get processed'; out of sight, out of mind.

On the canals and rivers, you have to do it yourself.

 

Some folks understand and care - so do what they can, others well - as you say.

 

It's going to take a major outbreak, with the same consequences as the current outbreak of water poisoning to get people taking notice.

 

[Rant OFF]

[rufus2015]

I have seen quite a few lets say " less than highly polished " boats that never move or visit the elsan point and the owners have no way to transport a toilet cassette ,you have to summise that all the waste is going over the side.

 

We moored next to one narrow boat with a very unwashed bloke living in it, when the doors were open the stench was so strong we had to move, it was truly disgusting the inside of the cabin was black with dirt, and he had birds in cages in there that had never been cleaned out ! Sad the state some people get in isn't it ? But they refuse help.

 

Anyone pumping out into the ditch should be seriously prosecuted.

[Guest]

Moored on the Coventry. Walked the dog earlier and watched a bloke on a big old boat use a hand pump to pump his pooh tank out into a ditch behind the towpath. Don't think he was aware he was being watched as he was acting a bit furtive. As soon as he was finished he quickly put the pump rig away. The subsequent smell was awful as I walked by. Question; has anyone else ever witnessed this ? The concern is there is a river on the ditch side of the towpath and I would hate to think that the contents of his pooh tank would get into a watercourse. Maybe there is some ancient statute that allows boaters to pump poop ? Don't think so really. What does the panel think ?

I'm afraid I would have whipped out my iPhone snapped/filmed him in the act, let him know I had snapped/filmed him and his boat name and number and that I was going to report the filthy swine to the EA/CRT or both.

 

I then for good measure would have uploaded the vid. to You Tube.

 

There can be no acceptable excuse for this.

[Dharl]

Agree needs to be reported and if possible (at the time) would have taken a pic as evidence.......however would have been a bit more subtle than Martin, I can be a bit of a coward sometimes I don't fancy been thrown into ditch that has been recently filled with those contents.....

[Guest]

Agree needs to be reported and if possible (at the time) would have taken a pic as evidence.......however would have been a bit more subtle than Martin, I can be a bit of a coward sometimes I don't fancy been thrown into ditch that has been recently filled with those contents.....

I would like to see him try....

[bizzard]

It's quite alarming, I've ceased rinsing my washing in the river.

[OldGoat]

I'm afraid I would have whipped out my iPhone snapped/filmed him in the act, let him know I had snapped/filmed him and his boat name and number and that I was going to report the filthy swine to the EA/CRT or both.

 

I then for good measure would have uploaded the vid. to You Tube.

 

There can be no acceptable excuse for this.

 

As with so many anti-social actions nowadays the excuse / reason is:-

 

"Because I can get away with it".....

 

A challenge to all is that just taking photos is not enough. Any documentation / observations have to be of sufficient quality / corroboration to stand up in court. Certainly EA (and probably CaRT as well) are reluctant to take any legal action because it's costly and runs the risk of a clever defence lawyer running rings around them.

 

As with many things nowadays it's down folks' conscience and mores. The all to frequent attitude is 'I don't give a ....' - You guessed it!

[Woodstock]

Colmac-please report it to CRT- I guess other authorities would have powers as well. It's vile and unnecessary and another reason for people to have issues with boaters. If a non boater saw it, there's a good chance they would think we all did it

[mark99]

_{Practical help for Colmac - whom/how to report?. Deffo needs reporting. The chap is an animal.}

Edited August 10, 2015 by mark99

[Guest]

As with so many anti-social actions nowadays the excuse / reason is:-

 

"Because I can get away with it".....

 

A challenge to all is that just taking photos is not enough. Any documentation / observations have to be of sufficient quality / corroboration to stand up in court. Certainly EA (and probably CaRT as well) are reluctant to take any legal action because it's costly and runs the risk of a clever defence lawyer running rings around them.

 

As with many things nowadays it's down folks' conscience and mores. The all to frequent attitude is 'I don't give a ....' - You guessed it!

The iphone (and most digital cameras) will date and time stamp a digital photo taken and record it in the EXIF data which can be viewed using most photo editing software on a computer or using apps. on the phone itself. Additionally an iPhone (and most smart phones) will, assuming location services is on for both the phone and the camera,tag the photo with the location to a reasonable degree of accuracy.

 

I don't know how acceptable this would be in a criminal case but am surmising it would be good enough for a civil action. (happy to be corrected though)

[bassplayer]

I have seen quite a few lets say " less than highly polished " boats that never move or visit the elsan point and the owners have no way to transport a toilet cassette ,you have to summise that all the waste is going over the side.

 

No we don't have to surmise that, and are you suggesting those with shiny boats are more refined at dealing with toilet waste? How do you know they don't move or have a car (or a trolley). Unbelievable assumption.

 

No as mentioned, most of us empty it at marinas....during the night over shiny boats...

[Guest]

_{Practical help for Colmac - whom/how to report?. Deffo needs reporting. The chap is an animal.}

Probably here is as good a place to start as any.

 

https://www.gov.uk/report-an-environmental-incident

 

 

..

Edited August 10, 2015 by MJG

[David Mack]

Since he was pumping out into a ditch, not the canal, it should be reported to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60

Report an environmental incident

Call the Environment Agency incident hotline to report:

...

• illegal dumping of hazardous waste or large amounts of industrial waste

...

From https://www.gov.uk/report-an-environmental-incident

[rufus2015]

No we don't have to surmise that, and are you suggesting those with shiny boats are more refined at dealing with toilet waste? How do you know they don't move or have a car (or a trolley). Unbelievable assumption.

 

No as mentioned, most of us empty it at marinas....during the night over shiny boats...

OK call me crazy, but boats with no toilets exist, and boaters who never visit elsan points or use pump out facilities exist, the owners have no transport except pushbikes ( in small numbers) You work out where the sewage is going ?

[bassplayer]

OK call me crazy, but boats with no toilets exist, and boaters who never visit elsan points or use pump out facilities exist, the owners have no transport except pushbikes ( in small numbers) You work out where the sewage is going ?

I think you'd have to be sure before making sweeping statements. Having said that there will be a few 'boaters' who do dump it in the canal (or on the bank) as the OP has seen for themselves. I agree it should be reported.

 

Some might just be lazy or ignorant but it's possible someone might see it as 'normal' if they grew up along the coast where they used to pump raw sewage into the sea. An elderly boater may need assistance carrying waste to the Elsan point although you have to ask how they manage to bring fresh water to the boat. Perhaps offering help is better than condemnation in some cases.

[MtB]

Colmac-please report it to CRT- I guess other authorities would have powers as well. It's vile and unnecessary and another reason for people to have issues with boaters. If a non boater saw it, there's a good chance they would think we all did it

 

 

And what will CRT do about it, other than perhaps write him a letter reminding him he must use an authorised disposal point (or some such term)?

 

And what effect will that have? It would seem he already knows ditches are not the right place.

[mayalld]

 

 

And what will CRT do about it, other than perhaps write him a letter reminding him he must use an authorised disposal point (or some such term)?

 

And what effect will that have? It would seem he already knows ditches are not the right place.

He will now know that people are NOT going to turn a blind eye to his antics.

 

He will now know that he is on the radar for this behaviour.

 

He will now know that somebody was prepared to take the trouble to call.

 

He may well take the view that if he gets caught again, there is somebody out there who might just give evidence that he has done this before.

[colmac]

Unfortunately I did not take any photos as the stench was a tad overpowering. I did, however, take his boat details and will report the incident to both CRT and EA. Thank you all for repies.

Colin

[sueb]

Does the same apply to dumping ash in the canal?

[OldGoat]

Does the same apply to dumping ash in the canal?

 

I'd say YES

Perhaps not as antisocial (as far as folks are concerned), but potentially harmful to aquatic life.

Human waste has biological problems.

Ash has chemical issues.