A VACANT dry dock on the River Thames in central Oxford has sparked interest from a boat repair company.

Part of the Osney Yard Depot, next to Osney Lock, was put on the market earlier this month by property firm Bruton Knowles on behalf of the Environment Agency.

Green Boat Services, a marine engineering business which has been carrying out repairs on Oxfordshire’s waterways for the past three years, has expressed an interest in bidding for the out-of-water dock.

Oxford Mail:

Jon Ody, marine engineer for the repair service, said: “We have a good existing customer base but it’s essential to be able to get boats out of the water.”

The team, who said they have repaired around 80 narrow boats since they started up in 2009, currently operate as a mobile repair unit but occasionally use Salter's Steamers Slipway in the summer. 

Mr Ody, from Abingdon, said: “There’s a long history of boat-related issues in Oxford, not to mention the flooding of recent years.”

The Environment Agency refused to comment on the dock’s future due to commercial confidentiality.

  • The dry dock

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