Over £55,000 has been paid in fines by boaters with unregister vessels along the River Thames over the past few months.

People and businesses in Hounslow, Teddington, Surbiton and Twickenham were among those 40 caught out by enforcement officers.

Whilst on river patrols, Environment Agency enforcement officers discovered the unregistered boats during spot checks at Penton Hook Marina in Surrey.

This latest inspection showed "unacceptably high levels of registration evasion" with a quarter of the boats in the marina - around 125 vessels - failing to have been registered, the agency said.

"Every boat owner was traced and given ample warning and opportunity to register their boats correctly," a statement said.

Staines magistrates' court was told in the most recent round of cases that 26 owners had skipped the annual registration fee, determined by the length and width of the boat.

The highest charges were issued to Jess Rugeris, of Moseley, for their boat Le Petit II – more than £3,371 including fines, costs, compensation and victim surcharge.

Colin Chiverton, environment manager at the Environment Agency in Surrey, said: "If you have an unregistered boat on the Thames, you should know that our enforcement teams remain out all winter patrolling the river, checking valid registrations and taking action against those who cheat their fellow boaters.

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"With our ongoing crackdown, this Christmas we urge all Thames boaters to ensure they register their vessels ahead of the new year deadline.

"As our recent prosecutions clearly demonstrate, we will have no hesitation in bringing further offenders to court who avoid their obligations and responsibilities to lawful river users."