BOAT owners on the River Hamble have slated plans to improve safety on the crowded waterway.

A report due to be presented to the river's harbour management committee this Friday is set to look into a radical overhaul of moorings on the river.

Plans involve the widening of the river's channel and extending marinas towards the centre of the river. Other proposals would increase the number of open areas for dinghy sailing.

But boat owners claim that the plans would actually decrease the safety of vessels which already use the river. The report follows a wide-ranging public consultation exercise which began in June this year.

Around 7,000 copies of the plan were handed-out to mooring holders and distributed to local residents.

Independent consultants appointed by the harbour authority say the congested channels and the relatively high use of tenders could be improved by measures such as widening the main channel, relocating mid stream moorings to walk-ashore pontoons and creating open areas for dinghy sailing.

But boat owners say the plans would actually decrease safety on the river. Their main concerns are:

widening the channel would allow large and powerful boats to travel faster

the perceived removal of secondary channels would force small boats to use the main channel

extending marinas towards the centre of the river would bring manoeuvring boats into conflict with those using the main channel

the proposed open areas for dinghy sailing would be accessible to larger, faster boats.

The report goes on: "Clearly, the consultation exercise has highlighted the polarisation of views of safety issues between those responsible for managing the river and those who use it. The report will be discussed on Friday. Recommenda-tions include a meeting being set up between authority reprsentatives and river users.