At a meeting with berth holders last night British Waterways Marinas Ltd expressed the ambition to make Limehouse ‘one of the best marinas in London’ and admitted that mooring fees could eventually be comparable with the most expensive. Boat owners are already facing large price rises for the third year running and can look forward to more of the same.

BWML took over the management of the marina from British Waterways in 2004 and since then have taken a much more business-like approach, comparing their services and fees with commercial and public operators in the region. BWML claimed that berths in central London were in such demand that they were obliged to charge a market rate and whilst improvements in facilities and more berths are in the pipeline, residents pointed out that they didn’t realistically have the option to vote with their feet.