Published: Monday, 26th July, 2010 12:57pm

Model boats are banned from Tweedbank - claim

MODEL boat enthusiasts have sailed into tricky waters in Tweedbank.

At a meeting of the Tweedbank Community Council last Wednesday it was decided that model boats should be discouraged from using Gunknowe Loch - but local boat owners say they are perfectly within their rights to do so.

Andrew Bramhall, Secretary of the Community Council, said there are a number of reasons why model boats should be banned from the loch, he told the Border Telegraph: "If you look into the history of Tweedbank, model boats have never been allowed on the loch, this isn't a new thing.

"There is a real safety issue owing to the blue-green algae content of the loch, which poses a health risk to the public. If the model boats are being used around the algae then they would need to be properly disinfected after they are removed from the water, to avoid causing illness or cross-contaminating the next body of water they are used in.

"There is also the resident wildlife of the pond to consider. There are lots of birds that live on the pond and they shouldn't be disturbed just so people can pursue a hobby.

"There have been instances in the past where swans have been panicked by human activity on the loch and crash landed onto nearby roads which could obviously cause accidents. The loch's really there for residents to walk round and enjoy the wildlife, not recreation."

However, Bill Murnin, a member of the Borders Model Boat Club, disputes any allegations that model boats are bad news for the loch.

"We have explicit permission from the council to sail our boats on the pond. When David Parker was Chairman of the Community Council he gave us a trial and then granted us permission to use the loch - there was even a mark painted to show which was our designated bay for sailing our boats.

"We also have a risk assessment form that clearly shows we have Scottish Borders Council's permission to use the loch."

"As for the algae - we would never sail our boats in the pond if there was any present. In fact, last Tuesday was the first time we used the pond in a few years because it was finally algae free, while our usual spot in St. Boswells was full of the stuff.

"The majority of the wildlife at the pond is seagulls, and as far as I can tell the birds aren't bothered by us anyway."

And Mr Murnin says that the club, which boasts 22 members, has never drawn any criticism from the public.

"No-one has ever objected to us using the pond. Lots of mothers actually bring their children along to see the boats.

"We have permission to use the loch and we aren't doing any harm - so what's the problem?"