UPDATE

On the morning of Friday 20th March, Paul Foskett received some very credible information, of a possible sighting of a boat believed to be HOLLY, in or around the Banbury area. This reported sighting was no more than 1 or 2 days old.

Paul decided that the best course of action was for himself, and Adam, to travel to the Banbury area and cover the whole of the Oxford canal.  Adam started at the North end of the Oxford Canal, and Paul at the South end, both handing out posters to all businesses in the area and also to any passing boaters. 

It was sheer good luck, that a gentleman that had met Paul at  ‘The Rock of Gibraltar ‘ public house and was heading North towards Banbury , he spotted a gentleman painting a boat matching the description of Holly, on the towpath at bridge 213 near to Pigeons Lock.  He telephoned Trish in the office immediately.

Adam and Paul were at this time talking to two BW workers near to Banbury.  Once Trish had the news, she relayed it to Paul and Adam who then jumped into their car and drove to Pigeons Lock.  They met the gentleman that had passed on the information re Holly at bridge 213, and he pointed out the suspected vessel. 

Paul and Adam then casually walked past and confirmed that the boat was Holly.  Once this was established, Paul telephoned 999, and both Adam and Paul, detained the gentleman on the boat until the police arrived and arrested him.

The gentleman arrested at the scene will be appearing in a Cheshire court this Friday.

At this stage, we have to be careful with information pending the court case.  Once the court case has been concluded, we will be happy to pass on further information and pictures.

Paul Foskett – Managing Director, Adam Foskett – Manager and Trish Labedz – Office Administrator, would like to pass on their thanks and gratitude to everybody in the Canal community.   They were our eyes and ears in areas of the canal system that we were unfamiliar with.  Without their help, the job would have been much more difficult. 

So a very big thank you to you all.

Paul Foskett
Managing Director
Middlewich Narrowboats



This just in from one of our forum members – please be on the lookout for this boat:

I hope you canal anglers may be able to help with this.

A 47ft narrowboat HOLLY has not been returned from hire. The boat was hired from the 9th March to 23rd March from Middlewich Narrowboats by a man from Hertfordshire who was intending to sail single handed.

The boat was not returned, and he is now officially listed as a missing person. A police helicopter has been searching for the boat, without success.

The gentleman who hired the boat is from the St. Albans area. He is listed as a missing person with Herfordshire police. His address has checked out with the address he left, and he paid by credit card. The police have traced his relatives and been in to his house, his mobile phone charger was at home, there was no evidence that he had been there since 9.3.07 (when he hired the boat). He also left a vehicle with the boatyard which is registered to the same address. It does not appear that he intentionally booked the boat with the idea of stealing it.

There are very serious concerns for his safety. The last sighting of the boat appears to be at Bridge 11 on the Stratford upon Avon heading for Hockley Heath.

Further details, and the full story can be found at http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8050

Contact numbers for any sightings:

Middlewich Narrowboats 01606 832460
trish@middlewichboats.co.uk during office hours Monday – Saturday

In the evening or on Sundays contact Cheshire Police on 01606 480000 Crime Ref. No. 421 dated 24.3.07

If you’re out on the banks, please keep an eye out for this boat.

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