'My canal-blocking narrowboat was stripped'

A narrowboat that sank on a canal, blocking it for days, has been stripped of everything on board, its owner discovered.

The boat was recovered earlier by a River and Canal Rescue (RCR) team who managed to seal the hull and re-float it, after the sinking last Saturday.

For almost five days the angle it sank at, on the Oxford Canal in Coventry, left other narrowboats unable to get through.

"[But] Someone has literally stolen everything off this boat from the gearbox, exhaust, and pipework, down to the food, the clothes, and even the pictures off the walls," Pete Barnett, RCR's chief co-ordinator, told the BBC.

"The only things left are the kitchen sink, the log burner, and the mattress. Even the toilet and the basin out of the bathroom are gone.

"The owner's been down and he is devastated. He's had it a couple of years, and he did look a bit emotional."

The vessel's owner said he was too distraught to speak to the BBC at this time.

West Midlands Fire Service were originally called to the scene, between canal bridges four and five, on Sunday, but were unable to do much to solve the problem.

Speaking about the recovery, Mr Barnett said: "There were about eight boats waiting to get past when we arrived.

"We had to firstly seal her and deploy pumps, which took out about 60,000 litres of water per hour.

"The bow came up within an hour and we were able to pull her to the side and let people pass pretty quickly.

"When the insurance company gives us approval, we'll move her down to a more suitable location where she can be lifted out."

The Canal and River Trust said the vessel had been re-floated and securely moored for recovery.

"The canal is now back open and the stranded boats who were waiting are able to get on their way," it said in a statement.

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