Couple's retirement dreams sunk after £50,000 houseboat crashes into weir... because they forgot to sign up for flood warnings

Houseboat is being refloated today so that it can be moved and the river reopened

Peter and Marian Sycamore were sailing along the River Nene in Northamptonshire when conditions became difficult

The couple had remortgaged their home to buy their retirement dream-boat

Boating experts believe the vessel will never be river-going again

Peter and Marian Sycamore, who watched their £50,000 retirement dream wash down the River Nene before smashing into a lock

A devastated couple had to flee for their lives after their 60ft houseboat was washed down a river weir – because they forgot to sign up for flood warnings.



Peter and Marian Sycamore were returning cruising down the river during a relaxing break on the £50,000 river barge when conditions suddenly got dangerous.



They were sailing along the River Nene in Northamptonshire when heavy rain and rising water levels began to pull the 14-tonne boat under the surface.

The couple leapt off the sinking boat with their two dogs just in time, before watching in horror as strong currents caused their retirement-dream boat to smash into Ditchford Lock.

The boat is being refloated today - more than a week after it sank - so that it can be moved and the river reopened. However boating experts already believe the vessel will never be river-going again.



The couple said they had received no flood warnings or messages not to travel, despite torrential rain making the stretch of river unsafe for boats.

Crash: Pumping operations are being used to recover the sunken narrowboat, which was submerged for over a week

They thought they been added to the Environment Agency's emergency warning system - but failed to realise boat owners must sign up for every river they travel on.

Mrs Sycamore, 58, said: ‘I feel so lucky to be alive. It came to the point when it was almost tilted completely over before I got off.



Accident: The narrowboat sank at Ditchford Lock in Northamptonshire after conditions got difficult



Pumping out water: The narrowboat is refloated and safely moored so that the river can be reopened

‘We would never do something that would be reckless. I did not receive any emails from the EA Floodline alert telling us not to travel.



‘The flags at the lock were green and were not changed to red until after our boat sank. We are really, really upset. We had spent a lot of money doing it up to make it homely.’



The couple had remortgaged their home in Swavesey, Cambridgeshire, to pay for the boat.



Stuck: The 60ft vessel hit the sluice gate on the River Nene when water levels rose

They bought it five years ago for £25,000 and ploughed another £15,000 into repainting it, fitting a fire, solar panels and decorating it.



Luckily, the couple say they have £40,000 of insurance cover and believe they will qualify for a payout because the Environment Agency classify the damage as an accident.



Mr Sycamore said: ‘Rivers are so unpredictable. The water gushed in to the engine and cut out the

electricity. Luckily the boat is insured.



Lucky escape: The narrowboat became wedged against a river sluice gate - fortunately its owners managed to escape before it started to sink

‘But the only positive thing is that my wife and I are alive. She was on the back of the boat and could have been thrown in to the water and in to the sluice.



‘One of our dogs jumped off and I went back on to the boat to rescue the other one.



The Environment Agency said today that river users have to sign up for weather alerts for every waterway they travel on.



A spokesman said: ‘Signing up for advice on one river does not give up updates for every Anglian waterway.



‘People should make sure they are signed up for the specific river they are using.



‘A message was sent to every person signed up for River Nene strong stream advice service at 9.30am on Thursday, November 1.



‘The advice not to use the River Nene on Floodline was also in place from Thursday morning.



‘The flag poles along the River Nene are managed by unpaid volunteers.

