Fishermen under fire

Arun Yacht Club has given the skippers notice to quit the moorings because the structures are unsafe and insurers will not renew the cover when it runs out in December.

But the fishermen say that will leave them with nowhere to berth in the new year, and could put some of them out of business.

Now they are calling on Arun District Council and Littlehampton Harbour Board to provide permanent facilities for the industry, possibly within the redevelopment of the west bank of the river.

The crisis is a reminder of the troubled times in the harbour five years ago, when fisherman Clive Mills fought Arun and the board after losing his mooring in the wake of the multi-million pound East Bank regeneration scheme.

The case ended up in the High Court in London, with Mr Mills and his supporters claiming the obscure White Herring Fisheries Act, dating back to the 18th century, gave them the right to moor freely on the riverbank.

Arun eventually won the case, but the rumpus held up the showcase East Bank development by almost a year.

Philip Oxley, one of the boat owners ordered to leave his berth, said this week: "There are at least four families I know who rely on the boats moored there for a living. Once again, the few remaining fisherman of this harbour find themselves having to fight to retain their livelihoods."

Mr Oxley said it seemed hypocritical that so much of the East Bank redevelopment, including the Look and Sea! visitor centre, had been based around the harbour's heritage at a time when "it would seem all the bodies involved are doing their best to wipe out the current industry".

He added: "The 'riverside living' aspect is now a sanitised and characterless setting, with all past users removed."

Yacht club commodore Dave Tebay said the club had been advised by its insurers that cover would not be renewed for the mooring piles after this year. "We have responsibilities for health and safety as directors of the club, and we really consider it's unsafe to continue using those moorings."

Mr Tebay said the boat owners had been given sufficient notice and some had been offered alternative moorings, but had turned them down because they considered they were not as good as the present berths.

"We do sympathise. If we could do anything for them, we would. But it revolves around our liability and their own personal safety. It's not that we don't like fishermen and want to get rid of them."

A major new development of moorings is planned by the club, but is unlikely to start for some time, and will be too late for the fishermen.

Harbour board chief executive John Sharwood said the board had no responsibility to subsidise berths for the fishing industry, "but obviously we would be disappointed to see the industry lost".

There was a waiting list for the board's own moorings, and although other berths were available elsewhere in the harbour, they were more expensive than the yacht club's.

Arun director of services Colin Rogers said the council was negotiating with the yacht club and Littlehampton Fishermen's Association about providing berths and facilities for the fishermen on land known as "the island", near the existing moorings. The island is currently leased by Arun Yacht Club.