RESIDENTS living in narrowboats on the canal are angry and concerned for their health as hundreds of walkers, cyclists, and joggers are flooding to the towpath every day during lockdown.

Those who live on their narrowboats off the Langford Lane towpath in Kidlington said that the ‘towpath has become a nightmare’ with runner’s coughing and spitting onto the area surrounding the residential boats.

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Married couple Tim and Georgina Webster said they ‘do not feel safe’ living on their narrowboat as no one is social distancing or wearing a mask as they pass through the towpath.

Mrs Webster, who suffers from anxiety, said: “I can’t even sit on top of my boat without seeing unmasked coughing and spluttering people, I feel trapped and I shouldn't have to feel this way.”

The area of the towpath where the pair live is only two meters wide which the boaters have said makes it ‘hard’ to social distance.

The couple said that they had made a complaint to the Canal River Trust and to a local community officer but ‘nothing changed’.

Mr Webster added: “The way I see it is that we pay to be there, there are people there that are vulnerable, one gentleman is in his 70s, and where his boat is the path is only two meters wide so people cannot go outside and are stuck on their boats.

“The fact of the matter is that destroying the towpath, plus it’s not really in the spirit of the effort we are trying to make in the entire situation, no one is wearing masks.”

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The couple said the number of people using the towpath is much greater than before the pandemic, and the number of users has significantly increased compared to the first lockdown in March of last year.

Mrs Webster said on Sunday she counted more than 100 people going up and down the towpath in the space of three hours.

Another narrowboat resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, said:” Footfall has dramatically increased during the lockdown with many more people using the towpath.

“At busy times it is impossible to socially distance.

“Those of us who live on our boats have resorted to only being able to leave our boats at specific times in order to avoid the crowds.”

The boaters have tried to take matters into their own hands by putting up their own signs to remind passers-by of the Covid regulations, however, these signs have either been ‘ignored or torn down’.

The Webster’s have lived on the same stretch of the canal for three years and said they had never had ‘any issues’ before this.

Mr Webster hopes that something will be done to stop walkers, joggers, and cyclists from using the particular area of the towpath that is only two meters wide.

He said: “I seriously think the only way to solve it would put a gate at each end of the towpath, so only boaters with waterways keys could access this stretch and will stop members of public coming through.

“It would only be under a mile not accessible, there are other ways to get around it.

“It’s not being unreasonable.”

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The boaters hope their plea to passers-by will stop the number of people using the towpath each day over lockdown.

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