Anti-social and intimidating behaviour has led to the closing of the towpath gate which gives access to Regent’s Canal near Noel Road between the hours of 5pm and 7.30am.
The decision is in response to a recent spate of incidents along the towpath which have left boaters feeling vulnerable after dark. Members of London Boaters using the temporary moorings are taking it in turns to lock and unlock the gate.
Ali Rawlings is a member of London Boaters, an organisation connecting those who use temporary moorings on London waterways. She runs her bakery business, the Floating Cake Shop, from her boat and has been the victim of three recent incidents of anti-social behaviour when moored at Islington moorings, including people coming onto the boat and setting off fireworks.
She said: “I put a notice on my boat telling them there was nothing of any value. I’m not so much scared as indignant. Somebody will get hurt, either a burglar or a boater.”
Ms Rawlings said that the locking of the gate has made her feel a lot safer. Having lived in London for most of her life, she says that the canal is the only place that she has felt a sense of community. But she believes security is a growing issue, especially as in the economic climate “there are going to be more people choosing this lifestyle”.
Since migrating down the river to Southgate Road, where the towpath cannot be locked, she has experienced more anti-social behaviour including someone attempting to kick in her window and throwing a bag of coal off her boat.
But the decision to close off the towpath is not universally welcomed. At a recent meeting of Friends of Regent’s Canal, some criticised what they saw as “privatising” the towpath.
One member said that the group should be careful to avoid hypocrisy. “We just had a discussion about access around the basin. We need to be consistent.” The group has a long-standing campaign for more access to the City Road Basin.
Others complained that it would prevent cyclists from using the path as a way of getting home. But Ms Rawlings and others argue that cyclists do not have to use that path whereas the boaters who live there do.
Ian Shadlock, chairman of the Friends of Regent’s Canal, was supportive of the move. He said: “My passion is only for access in daylight hours. I would differentiate between dusk and daylight.”
The incidents come at the same time as other disturbances further up the canal. In the Victoria Park area police had been notified of 17 break-ins in one evening.
The presence of two marine police officers at the meeting was unprecedented and the Friends of Regent’s Canal said that they would make security the priority for a meeting early next year.
