ABINGDON'S riverside could once again be used to boost tourism as the district council seeks to crack down on boaters who overstay their welcome "willy-nilly".

Local authorities have said people who moor their boat for weeks on end are hampering efforts to attract short-stay visitors to the town and even creating a housing problem.

Preliminary plans have been pieced together to reduce the current rule-flouting on the River Thames, which would reduce maximum mooring stays by two days and introduce to-let spaces on the river along Wilsham Road especially for residents.

Vale of White Horse District Council presented draft proposals to Abingdon Town Council last week, which the Vale's economic development manage Suzanne Malcolm said was “very much aimed at visitors”.

Town council leader Mike Badcock said: “The situation at the moment is a complete mess. People haven’t been moved on, they are there far too long. They are mooring willy-nilly.

“We are trying to encourage tourists to come into Abingdon and shop and use the town, not for people to move down from Oxford and live on their boats here. We are almost getting their housing problem coming here.”

Currently Vale policy states that mooring on council-owned spots at Abbey Meadow, Hales Meadow, Rye Farm Meadow and Wilsham Road are free for people staying up to five days, with fines issued thereafter. The new proposals would see these cut to three days.

But there is concern from the town council the new proposals will not have the desired effect, with Abingdon Mayor Alice Badcock saying a policy change would not improve the situation unless rules were enforced, claiming that some boats had been moored "since April" without penalty.

The plan would also see Wilsham Road used solely by Vale residents who would pay £500 per year to moor a non-residential boat but Mr Badcock said he was worried bringing in permanent spots would clog the riverbank and leave no room for nearby families to go fishing.

He added: “Mums and dads who are happy to let their children fish on their own want somewhere safe with plenty of people around.”

Town councillor Vicky Jenkins, who pushed her colleagues to get the long-running mooring issue back on the district’s agenda, was similarly dubious and said the plans looked as though they had been put together at the “eleventh hour”.

She added: “I was quite disgusted. The Vale have had long enough to deal with it – we raised the issue about 10 months ago and they seemed to have completely forgotten about it. The rules have been laxed for so long.”

The Vale says the main reason for the delay is the length of time it has taken for the Land Registry to confirm it owns the land.

Natalie Ellis, spokeswoman for the Vale, said: "The moorings are supposed to be for tourists, and we think that three days is plenty of time to see the area and enjoy what it has to offer. Three days also discourages commuters from abusing the service.

"Permanent moorings will also remove space for people who stay casually for long periods of time, which can be an issue for people in this residential area."