WILTSHIRE'S boating community is set to welcome an exile from Somerset after a bus driver has been forced to end their 30-year stay.

Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby has reported on Maggie Hopcroft who is one of many who the Canal and Rivers Trust has ordered to remove their boat from Northgate Docks in Bridgwater after its lease expired in December 2021.

Ms Hopcroft, who is currently on long-term sick leave, has now been evicted after efforts to secure her a permanent mooring place floundered.

Legally, canal boats cannot be moored in the same place for 14 continuous days unless it has the necessary licence.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Maggie Hopcroft as her boat is lifted from the canal in Taunton. Picture: Daniel Mumby

Ms Hopcroft's Maggie May was lifted from the canal in Taunton yesterday (Wednesday, July 5).

She said: “It’s stressful – this is my home.

“I’m being victimised – I’m the only one being lifted because I haven’t got a home mooring.”

Two other boats were due to be lifted out of the canal, but they managed to secure a mooring at the Boat and Anchor Inn, near Bridgwater.

Maggie May is being transported onto the Kennet and Avon Canal, near Devizes.

Ms Hopcroft said: “I’ve had to give into this. My solicitor said to me that if I fought this in court and lost, I’ve got all the costs involved.

“The CRT is paying for the lifting, the transport and the lifting at the other end – and I pay for the rest.”

She added: “My job’s here, my doctors’ surgery is here. I’ve been here 30-odd years. I’m local to Bridgwater.

“I was living van-side for a long time before we bought this boat. Mum and dad work on canals so I’m used to boats. I can’t do bricks and mortar.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Maggie Hopcroft's boat being transported off the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. Picture: Maggie Hopcroft

“I don’t know what I’m going to do for work. I’m currently on long-term sick – I can’t drive at the moment because I hurt my leg.”

The Canal and Rivers Trust spokesperson said: "When our lease of Bridgwater Docks from Somerset County Council ended in March 2021, the council stipulated that all boats must leave the docks.

“Boats that moved onto the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal without a permanent place to moor had been temporarily allowed to stay free of charge by the trust under an ‘approved extended stay’ arrangement. This approved extended stay ended on January 31, 2023.

“We have been helping the affected boaters throughout this difficult period by looking at options for new permanent moorings along the canal and keeping in regular contact. Unfortunately, the nature of the canal means that options for extra permanent moorings are limited.

“Similarly, the length of the canal also means that it is impossible for the boats to meet the guidance for boats without a home mooring by continuously cruising from place to place. So, boats on the canal need to have a home mooring.

“Unfortunately, having exhausted the options available, it meant that a small number of boats without a home mooring were required to leave the canal. We have been in regular contact with everyone affected during the process.”

Wiltshire is no stranger to high-profile evictions from the canal.

Boater reveals how Canal and River Trust finally managed to evict him

Following a bitter legal row with the trust, George Ward was eventually forced off his boats in April with the help of police and security teams after two separate attempts.

He now resides on the side of the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bradford on Avon in a tent, but has also been ordered to leave that land too.