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Barge retirement plan 'destroyed by arson'

BBC Graham Bennett looking into the camera in front of his fire damaged barge. He's wearing black sunglasses, a black hat, black and white scarf, light blue jumper and black coat.BBC
Mr Bennett said his future was taken away in the fire

A man has said he lost his future when his barge was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

Graham Bennett returned to his boat near the Tees Barrage in Stockton-on-Tees on 9 January to find his home wrecked, just days after it had been ransacked.

Mr Bennett said it was his "future" and "retirement plan", adding he does not have the "health or strength to save her" after it took years to renovate.

Cleveland Police has launched an investigation into the fire.

Most of Mr Bennett possessions were destroyed with the boat, including family photographs.

"Everything was in it and it's gone," he said.

A red and green barge which has been badly damaged by fire sits on a frozen body of water beside a jetty.
Mr Bennett spent years renovating the boat

The boat, originally called Phoenix, took years to turn into a home.

Mr Bennett had to rebuild the engine and redo the steelwork.

"A lot of people thought I was crazy and it would never go again," he said.

Now he says he is "really worried" about how he is going to salvage the barge from the water and pay for its removal.

"I've lost the boat," he said. "They took my future away."

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