Hunt for owner as NARROW BOAT is dumped on footpath
Usually it's mattresses, bags of rubbish or burnt out cars that get left on the side of the road.
But for one industrial estate in Smethwick it's something a lot larger and a lot harder to shift.
Mystery surrounds the appearance of a black and red canal boat which is believed to have been parked up outside businesses for a month.
A council team have been trying to locate its owner in an effort to rid the estate of the boat which blocks off a public walkway.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for highways and environment Councillor David Hosell said: “This is one of the more unusual things we’ve found blocking a footpath – our wardens are more used to abandoned vehicles and fly-tipping.
“It’s in a fairly secluded location in Vittoria Street in Smethwick, not too far from the canal.
"We believe it’s been there for about a month until it was reported to the council.
“We’re now trying to trace the owner to get it moved, but if we can’t, we will have to find a way of moving it and storing it until we can find who it belongs to.”
Sandwell Highways have also launched an appeal for further information about the whereabouts of its owner on their Twitter account.
One user offered to buy the boat if no claims were made for it, whilst another suggested the boat be turned into a planter and placed on a roundabout similar to a replica boat that was placed at the bottom of Mucklow Hill in Halesowen.
The replica was brought in to act as a part of a floral display for the towns push for top honours in the 2016 Britain in Bloom competition.
The 22.5ft narrow boat, built with grants from Dudley Council’s Halesowen North and South Community Forum and then planted out by the council’s Green Care department, saw Halesowen take the gold at last year's regional Britain in Bloom awards.
