A Tattenhall man is ‘angry and upset’ after he says he has been repeatedly unable to launch his boat on to the River Dee from Sandy Lane because motorists have blocked the slipway.
Ron Crowe, 74, believes he is not getting ‘value for money’ from the boat licence fee he pays annually due to a lack of parking infrastructure at the site.
He says he has set off from his home ‘many times’ only to have to turn back because the car park is ‘constantly full of cars’.
He claims he asked someone to move their car which was blocking the slipway last year and was threatened.
“It’s not my having to pay that upsets me, it’s having to drive nine miles home when the car park is full with motorists who have parked for free that I find totally unfair,” Ron said.
“I’ve enjoyed using the Dee for over seventy years, it’s only in recent times I’ve had this problem. I am extremely angry and upset.”
In April, the Chronicle reported on how several unlucky motorists were slapped with parking tickets after leaving their cars on the grass verge on Sandy Lane.
The penalty charge notices were subsequently revoked by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC).
While a CWaC spokeswoman said that there is signage telling people not to obstruct slipways, she revealed that the authority is considering a review of the car park.
“There are hatch markings and a nearby sign which inform drivers not to block the slipways,” she said.
“We are also considering reviewing the use of the car park.
“A senior council officer is meeting Mr Crowe to discuss his concerns.”
She also explained that the annual fee for a boat licence ‘contributes towards the cost of clearing debris from the Dee and also towards the cost of the Rover Patrol Boat which operates three days a week and bank holidays between April and September’.
