A day in the life of a patrol officer

10:30am: I arrived at Limehouse Basin eager to start the day where Andy and moorings officer, Lisa Alderman, joined me to show their new recruit the ropes. We climbed aboard Veritas, the patrol boat for the Rivers Lee and Stort and set sail over to the Sin Bin. (Yes, I had no idea what the 'Sin Bin' was either – but I soon learnt that it's where all the Section 8 boats are left until they can be transported back to the Enfield office). We were there to collect a cruiser which Lisa and Andy expertly tie to the side of the patrol boat, ready to be brought back to Enfield, around a 4 ½ hour cruise. I didn’t expect what was coming next - Andy wanted me to drive the boat all the way back to Enfield. I don't drive a car, so could I manage to handle Veritas with a boat tied next to me? Only time would tell...

11:30am: As we're cruising along, I start to relax and get more confident with handling the boat – it's not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I'm getting there. Andy notices a boat whose licence is overdue and we pull over to speak to the owner who he knows by name - Andy’s been a patrol officer for years and knows all the boats on his patch and the people who live on them. The owner says she has applied for a licence, but problems with her credit card mean that the Boat Licensing Team in Leeds are unable to process it. Andy gives her another application form (from a pile he has in the boat for occasions such as this) and gives her seven days grace to complete the form and get it back to him. As the boat has already been served with a Section 8, if the owner doesn't complete the form in the time given, Andy will take the craft away. I must say, I'm impressed with the way Andy talks to customers - he comes across as very serious, yet fair, treating each customer he meets with courtesy and respect.

12:15pm: We come across some boats that Andy needs to put patrol notices on as they have no licence and asks the customer to contact Andy and pay their licence within 14 days. I was interested to see this as I have spoken to many customers on the phone informing British Waterways of such boats and it was re-assuring for me to see that things are done about them. The notices are attached to the craft as a last chance attempt to make contact with the owner as it is possible they have moved and not told us of their new address. By attaching the notice to the craft it is likely that the owner will at least see the notice and respond accordingly. Andy had previously sent them a warning letter advising them to pay within 14 days. After receiving no response to these letters, this is the next step. One of the notices was for a live-aboard, so if they don't pay, then the next step is court action.

1pm: The day has flown by so far, but we have some time to grab a quick brew and a bacon buttie (made on the boat) and no sooner have we eaten we are off again!

1:45pm: After cruising along for a short while, we enter an area of the River Lee with lots of boats moored on the towpath. Andy knows exactly which ones have been there for over 14 days, proving just how much notice a patrol officer has to take on his or her patch. We spot three boats that have been there for over 14 days and input their index numbers into the Q1 system - a handheld computer that all patrol staff use to make notifications. The index numbers are entered and notes made so that when Andy gets back to Enfield, he can send invoices and letters to the relevant customers. (For each day a boat overstays in London it is charged £25 per day). I was pleased to see this system being used as I just think of the majority of boaters who obey the rules. It seems that in my three years at British Waterways, I have become rather protective of our customers!

3pm: We stop briefly at a sanitary station (with no toilet on board, this un-scheduled stop is welcome!) and, while there, we see a narrowboat moored on the opposite side of the towpath. Andy takes its number down to check it has permission with the landowner to be there.

4:45pm: After our long journey, we arrive at the Enfield office where we tie the boat next to three other Section 8 removals. These craft will be surveyed and, depending on the value, will then either be sold or destroyed.

I've had a great, if tiring, day with Lisa and Andy. I’ve learnt just how the patrol teams work and how hard they work to ensure that those not abiding by the rules don’t get away with it, making the canals and rivers much better for those who do. At the moment, I enjoy working as part of the customer service team but, you never know, it could be something I end up doing – I got rather used to steering that boat in the end!