A sinking boat in Oxford has sunk deeper into the River Thames with the Environment Agency confirming no action will be taken.
The canal boat which is moored in the city is identifiable by its brown wood and white-painted features but has been slowly sinking for more than a year.
In April it was around halfway under the surface and is continuing to sink deeper with no intervention made in the past six months.
Moss has grown on the side of the vessel and the tarpaulin cover over the boat has turned green.
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The vessel has sunk even further in recent weeks as its inscription of “T373” is now underwater.
The Environment Agency does not own the boat or the land where it is located so informed that it will not take any direct action to remove the vessel at this time.
A spokesperson for the EA said: “The responsibility for raising or removing the boat remains with the boat’s owner.
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“The boat is currently tied to the bank and poses no immediate pollution, flood, or navigation risk.
“It would be inappropriate to use taxpayer’s money to remove the boat and relieve the boat-owner of their responsibilities.
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“As an unnamed vessel, we continue to seek details of the boat’s ownership and whether it has been registered.
“We would welcome any information from the public to help with our enquiries”
The Environment Agency added that their enforcement team is investigating whether there is any registration recorded for the boat but no laws have currently been identified as having been broken.
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