Stolen boat seen speeding “James Bond-style” on River Cam seized
The stolen vessel, which has been seen speeding on the River Cam in Cambridge over the summer, has now been recovered by the police.
Throughout the summer, the stolen speedboat has been causing a nuisance on the River Cam in Cambridge.
Following complaints by river users, it was seized by the Conservators of the River Cam after it was spotted in a prohibited zone.
But, the thieves stole it back again in August from the river authority’s depot.
The Conservators of the River Cam say the boat has been seen around a dozen times speeding along the river, which has a speed limit of 4mph.
The boat is capable of reaching speeds of up to 30mph.
The river manager, Jed Ramsay has previously said he was concerned about other river users.
“My worry is that, at that speed, the wake the boat causes could easily capsize a single rower or canoeist, never mind if anyone happened to be swimming in its path,” he told the Cambridge News.
The Conservators of the River Cam also took to Facebook to appeal for help in tracking down the vessel.
“If anyone sees it moored up on the river let us know as we can seize it again (except this time we’ve got a plan to ensure it doesn’t get stolen back as it did when we seized it in August),” it wrote.
Now, South Cambridgeshire Police have tracked down the speedboat and seized it.
The vessel has now been taken to the police’s secure compound out of Cambridge while inquiries continue.
The Conservators of the River Cam is appealing for help to trace the vessel’s owner.
It has been in contact with other navigation authorities, the Environment Agency and the Broads Authority in Norfolk.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the River Cam Conservancy.
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