Thames dragnet on speeding boats

The limit applies on the non-tidal Thames as far as Teddington Lock

Boat owners who travel too fast on the Thames could face prosecution in a crackdown on speeding on the river.

Officers from the Environment Agency are to use speed radar guns to check boats they suspect of breaking the four knot (7.4km/h) speed limit.

Speeding boat drivers could be prosecuted and fined if found guilty.

Last week officers on patrol on the lower stretch of the river warned 29 speeding boat drivers, three of whom may now be prosecuted.

The speed limit applies on the non-tidal Thames in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey, as far as Teddington Lock.

Stuart Taylor, operations Manager for the lower non-tidal Thames, said: "Speeding boats pose a real safety risk within the confines of the river.

"The wash they create damages banks and produces the river's equivalent of 'earthquakes' for moored boats and houseboats."