Make the most of the abandoned Heswall shore boats while you can
Last week we reported how Wirral Council has appealed - again - to the owners of boats left to die on Heswall shore to do something about them.
Around 100 vessels lie strewn across the place: some are health and safety risks, while others present danger to the local environment, either by virtue of simply being there, or because they could be responsible for oil, paints and plastic seeping into the Dee Estuary.
The Dee Estuary is designated as a Special Protection Area and Site of Scientific Interest and supports a large number of wintering wading birds that feed on the rich fauna.
The council said it had a legal duty to ensure the shore was safe for users and the environment.
There are no plans to take any legal action against boat owners "at this stage".
"However," added the council, "if any boats are not identified after a lengthy attempt to confirm owners, the legal removal and disposal of boats and other items may have to follow."
In the meantime, there is something to be said for a trip to the shore to take a look at the wrecks. Mind you, the untrained eye can find it hard to tell if some of the craft are actually serviceable, and simply look as if they have been left to rot.
But when there are no or few people about, and in the right conditions - twilight or angry skies can help - Heswall shore currently has the look of an imaginative, free of charge sculpture park with the most amazing backdrop, or the set of a movie in which some catastrophe has struck the planet.
It would be no surprise if a Martian tripod rose up out of the mud - though we can be confident that Wirral council would forbid the use of its deadly heat ray.
Take a look at the gallery of ten pictures taken last year at the top of this page and perhaps you'll get the idea.
Though the boats have been giving local residents that sinking feeling for several years, they won't be around forever.
It goes without saying - if you do head down to the shore for a gander, then please take care - don't try to set sail in something like this...
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