Things have gone from bad to worse for boat-loving Rob Davies in the last week.

It didn't seem so bad when his craft was featured on the front page of The Citizen last Thursday.

But the freezing weather which prompted the picture of Rob's beloved boat Jo-Anne sitting pretty encased in ice on the canal in Lancaster brought his first taste of disaster.

Melting ice holed the boat at the weekend - causing it to fill with water and leaving many of Rob's possessions ruined.

He had just managed to re-float her and was away for barely an hour when callous thieves added to his problems - by stealing his generator.

Disconsolate Rob told Citizen: "The people who helped me get the boat floated were brilliant, I can't speak highly enough of them totally unlike the people who stole my generator.

"The theft couldn't have come at a worse time. I've only had it for a month and need it more than ever now."

Rob spends much if his time living on the boat which he moved to the area to spend Christmas with his partner and her family.

"She's a beautiful old boat and I'll never give up on her," said Rob: "She was built in 1957 for use on the Norfolk Broads and I would much rather live on a boat than in a house. It's lovely, travelling round and seeing beautiful places like Hest Bank."

January 16, 2003 08:30