Martin Taylor, whose narrowboat was moored at Bissett, near Alvechurch, West Midlands, decided to move his vessel to Polesworth near Tamworth after witnessing a boat sink.

Taylor said vandals drilled holes into the canal boats on purpose and that he’d ‘had enough’ of the many problems the local boating community had had in the area.

The 59-year-old said: “I had been moored at Bissett for some time but I have been forced to leave now because a number of boats have been sunk. Vandals have been drilling holes in the hulls. One boat moored in front of mine sank in front of my eyes. Fortunately no-one was hurt but if someone had been sleeping on there, and wasn’t able to get out, you would have been talking about potential fatalities. There are so many problems with vandals that I’ve had enough. I’ve moved on, and I hope I don’t have any problems there”.

But this is sadly not the only incident he’s experienced. Taylor had issues getting to Polesworth last week because two locks were allegedly deliberately drained by vandals. Locks and paddles were also tampered with, creating problems and delays for boat owners.

A spokesperson for the charity Canal and River Trust confirmed the area is suffering from vandalism, saying: “Unfortunately we have a problem with vandals on our canal network. We are a charity and dealing with problems vandals cause is a real drain on our resources.”

Fire fighters called out to battle barge blaze in Yorkshire

The fire gutted the boat and spread to the jetty where it was moored.

Boat Fail: Narrowboat barges through lock gate

Here's a great example of how not to operate a lock gate