Reports of drug use, fighting and the lighting of fires led to the decision
17:27, 18 Dec 2025Updated 17:56, 18 Dec 2025
An aerial shot of the ‘hobo boat’.(Image: Trafford Council)
A narrowboat on the Bridgewater Canal, known locally as the ‘hobo boat’, has been shut down following court action from Trafford Council. The decision to take legal action came after a reported string of anti-social behaviour took place on and around the vessel.
Manchester Magistrates agreed that the craft – which is moored on a disused wharf located just north of Edge Lane Bridge near Stretford Metrolink Station – should be subject to a closure order, as well as the wharf itself.
Magistrates were told the narrowboat and wharf were being inhabited by a group of class A drug users.
In recent weeks Trafford Council’s Community Safety team and Greater Manchester Police received reports of:
- Fighting, shouting and the lighting of fires including on Edge Lane Bridge and on the boat.
- Drug use on and around the vessel, evidenced by used syringes and other paraphernalia.
- Aggressive and threatening begging and harassment of passers-by, including those using the Metrolink Park and Ride.
- A banned, dangerous dog, with a piece of string for a lead, running freely on the wharf area and nearby streets adjacent. The animal has been taken by police.
- Theft from local shops – including one where a staff member was assaulted.
- Assault of an elderly relative of a boat occupant, when she came to check on his welfare.
- A significant accumulation of fly-tipped waste on the wharf.
In addition to these incidents, the vessel slipped its makeshift moorings of ropes wrapped around small trees, necessitating a response by emergency services when it blocked the canal.
The interior of the ‘hobo boat’.(Image: Trafford Council)
James Parry, representing Trafford Council, told magistrates that this could very easily happen again, especially in strong winter winds. As the engine on the vessel is inoperable it would not have been steerable, and as such could have caused a serious collision on the canal.
The council was granted two full closure orders for the boat and the wharf itself with the support of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Peel Holdings, which operate that part of the canal.
The boat will now be moved to a safe location and the wharf locked and monitored by CCTV.
The closure order posted on the entrance to the narrowboat.(Image: Trafford Council)
Cllr Rose Thompson, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Safety said: “We are pleased to have shut down this dangerous craft and the disused wharf area to prevent further crime and antisocial behaviour in the vicinity.
“The Council worked together with the police to achieve this unusual closure order, as part of our wide-ranging and continuous work to protect our communities in Trafford.”