Unauthorised mooring is to be outlawed in Richmond following a four-year campaign by the council.

From 13 March 2015, the council will be able to prosecute boats mooring with no permission, as a new byelaw is introduced to clamp down on offending vessels come.

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The change means that if any boats moor up to council owned or managed land it will be a criminal offence, which could carry a fine and/or prison sentence.

Every 24 hours the boat is moored, or attached, to the land, a new crime will have been committed.

Councillor Pamela Fleming said: “I am delighted that all the hard work our officers and responsible river users have put into this byelaw application will be rewarded. Some of these boats cause a great deal of distress for people living in and visiting the borough.

“We hope that we will soon see the end of these boats mooring with no permission along our beautiful stretch of the Thames.

“Over the next few weeks we will follow up on the notices already given, and contact all those vessels currently in an unauthorised spot on the river and warn them that their unauthorised mooring days are over. Time to move on or risk a fine.”

The new byelaw comes into place not long after authorities announced plans to crackdown on unregistered boats on the Thames.