Canal users today pleaded with thousands of would-be revellers to steer clear of the waterways this weekend after a floating festival last year left a “trail of destruction” in its wake.
Last summer locals complained those attending the Canalival festival in Hackney used Regent’s Canal’s neighbouring communal gardens as makeshift toilets, wildlife habitats were destroyed and litter was dumped in the canal and strewn across the toll paths.
Although Saturday’s party was cancelled this week after police issued a warning of a clamp down, locals fear a repeat of last year’s unlicensed booze-fuelled floating festival returning.
Boat owners have threatened to blockade the canal with boats to prevent a flotilla from passing through.
Rob Davis, spokesman for the Protect the Canal group, said: “Police will stop people attending. Boaters on the canal are not happy with Canalival taking place and it would be within their powers to blockade the route with their boats.
“We are not against people having fun. But this is not the right environment for an event like this.
“We know it was massively damaging and disruptive last year. It caused community projects to be destroyed and there was broken glass along the whole stretch of water.”
A spokesman for the Canal & River Trust, which manages the waterway, said: “Recent posts on various social media sites have claimed that Canalival, an unauthorised and antisocial event, will be taking place on the Regent’s Canal this weekend.
“We would like to make it clear that no application has been made to hold an event, either to Hackney Council or to us. Any such event would therefore be unauthorised and render organisers liable for public liability.”
This year’s organisers have removed the Facebook page for the event and messages have been issued on social networking sites encouraging people to stay away.
