A HAMPSHIRE sailor has fired a broadside against fees being imposed on dinghy users on the River Hamble.

Warsash Sailing Club member Tim Hazel says the Hampshire County Council charges of £4 a day or £5 per metre per year will prevent hundreds of people using the river each year.

Mr Hazel, from Warsash, also says when he questioned harbour masters about the charges earlier this week he was simply handed a piece of paper telling him to pay up or risk having his boat impounded and sold to pay for the fees.

Mr Hazel, 41, who is self-employed, said he knew the council began imposing these charges last year, but said it was done haphazardly with not everyone who used the river receiving notices to pay.

However last Wednesday when he was out in his dinghy, a harbour master patrol boat came up alongside and handed him a notice telling him to pay the fees.

He said: "It makes me mad. It's not the amount of money, it's that they are trying to stop me doing something I have been doing for free for 30 years, since I was a child.

"It's like they are trying to take away anything you can do for free, it's just another stealth tax and I'm sure it will stop hundreds of people, particularly children, using the river just because of the added cost.

"I have now reluctantly had to pay the fee as I don't want my sailing enjoyment stopped, but I still think the principle of not being able to sail on the Itchen for free is outrageous."

Extended Marine director David Evans, for Hampshire County Council, said: "Charges for harbour dues were extended to include dinghies and other small craft in January 2006 in an effort to ensure that everyone who uses the River makes a contribution to the cost of running and maintaining it.

"The harbour authority does not receive funding from any other sources and all harbour dues collected are used exclusively for the management and improvement of the River.

"Many people have happily paid their harbour dues for the year and we will continue our efforts to ensure that everyone who uses this wonderful facility contributes to its upkeep.

"Owners who have been issued with a writ but still refuse to pay risk the possibility that their boat will be detained until payment is made - this can happen either on or off the water."