CLAIMS from boat owners that rising mud levels in Watchet outer harbour could be putting lives at risk have been dismissed by the town’s harbourmaster, Jerry Gilmour.

He was responding to calls from Watchet Boat Owners’ Association (WBOA) for urgent action to clear mud which has doubled in depth and is claimed to be a major safety hazard to sailors and holidaymakers.

This week, reaction to Mr Gilmour’s view that there was no reason to believe that the current mud situation in the outer harbour was a safety risk, ranged from “total disbelief” to “very disappointed”.

In a letter to councillors and council officials, the WBOA had said: “We are potentially risking our lives and damage to our boats every time we sail or motor in or out of Watchet harbour.

“We have been expressing serious concerns for over two years but with no result. The outer harbour has reached a state where it is a hazard to boating and navigation, and the council, whose responsibility it is, has done absolutely nothing about it.”

But in a report to the Watchet Harbour Board, in response to the boat-owners’ allegations, Mr Gilmour, a part-time harbourmaster provided by a company in Hull, said: “Although the mud situation could be improved for social and commercial reasons, there is no reason to believe that that the current mud situation is a safety risk.”

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