Yachting in Maldon is being destroyed by the build up of silt in the river Blackwater, according to a member of the Maldon Little Ship Club, according to the Maldon & Burnham Standard.

John Rogers, at the Maldon Town Council AGM on Monday April 27, pleaded with the town council to do something to help and save the industry, the club and the river from silting – the build up of large amounts of soil and rock carried by the river and deposited in the lower courses making riverbeds shallower.

Mr Rogers said: “Visiting yachtsmen can’t come in and lots of visitors can’t moor up. There is no clean landing on the beach and Maldon is totally inaccessible.

“There are plenty of people who want to come up and visit but cannot. I am appealing to this council to look seriously at yachting on the river. I would love to see much better access. How about having a mooring here in the Sadds Wharf area. Maybe some big money should be spent on the river.”

And Maldon Town Council has promised to investigate the problem and see what they can do to help.

Town Mayor David Denyer said: “We will make some investigations. It is very important that we can bring people into the town from the Blackwater.”

Town councillor and keen sailor Ian Mackenzie said: “There has always been a problem in this town and I think of it as Maldon on the mud rather than Maldon on the sea.”