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Car and canal boats trashed in crime 'rampage'

PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2019 4:02 pm
by dutchman
Two canal boats were ransacked and a car was trashed

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A man was left in despair after yobs targeted his canal boat home and his car within a matter of days - in what has been described as a 'rampage' of canal crime in Bedworth.

The yobs cut the rope fastening the boat to the side of the canal, smashed windows and even defecated in the on board toilet.

Phil Smith moved the boat after reporting the incident to the police – but just days later his car was vandalised.

Pictures show the extent of the damage to the boat, which is also his home.

And Mr Smith was also disappointed in the response by Warwickshire Police, who he said did not come out to see the damage until the following afternoon.

Mr Smith was moored up at Bridge 14 on the Coventry Canal in Bedworth and left his boat for a few hours. When he returned at 10pm he was shocked by what he saw.

“The boat was halfway across the canal,” he said. “The rope had been cut. Two big windows were smashed, the back doors had been broken into. It was just trashed inside.”

A number of items had been taken, including Mr Smith’s PlayStation, a bike and his grandfather’s Gat gun, which had sentimental value.

“To add insult to injury, they had defecated in the toilet,” he added.

Neighbours heard Mr Smith shouting and helped him to bring the boat back to the side of the canal and tie it safely back up. He called the police, who came out the next afternoon to take a statement.

Mr Smith moved the boat to nearby Ashby Canal – but the next week his car, which was parked nearby on Marston Road in Bedworth, was also trashed. The damage was so extensive the car was written off.

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“I’ve had the boat eight years and nothing like this has ever happened before. Then two things within a few days. It’s like there’s been a rampage around Bedworth – and the response from police has been very lax.”

Mr Smith’s friend Steven Linton also had his boat targeted, and set adrift. The incident happened on the same night as Mr Smith’s car was trashed.

Mr Linton said: “My boat had three windows smashed, the mooring ropes smashed and the boat was set adrift.

“The police never even responded. We called on numerous occasions but they seem more interested in catching speeding motorists. This is on the increase and the police have done nothing. Homes have been ransacked sand cars written off.”

CoventryLive has put the allegations of a ‘lax’ response time to Warwickshire Police but has not received a response.

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