St Aubin’s Harbour in Jersey will be cleared of mud this year following complaints and protests from local boat owners.

Residents complained that it was preventing them from working on their boats and that it was becoming dangerous to moor boats at the site.

One local sailor, Roy Deeming, even staged a protest on New Year’s Day by blocking the entrance to the harbour with his boat, Desirée, to highlight the potential dangers of the mud build-up.

Work will begin in March to clear large mounds of mud followed by a complete dredging in September, which will cost around £300,000.

The boats will be kept at holding pontoons in nearby La Collette while the dredging is undertaken.

Myra Shacklady, the commercial director of the Port of Jersey, told the BBC: “The big dredge will involve bringing in an outside contractor and it will take several months.”

She said she would be explaining the full programme of the project to the Boat Owners Association AGM in February.

Image by MarilynJane