Boaters from across the country have gathered in Little Venice to protest again price rises in their licences.

The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) organised the march during the boaters’ Easter regatta today (March 30).

The group says it is unhappy with the Canal and Rivers Trust’s (CRT) decision to raise the cost of boat licences, which comes into force next week.

A surcharge for continuous cruisers, people who live on boats but do not have a home mooring where they stay for longer periods, will also be introduced.

Those attending by water displayed banners on the sides of their boats, while some of those on foot carried handmade placards.

The fair, held at the canal side exit of Paddington station, included a series of speeches by boaters and performers wearing decorated hats and purple masks.

Pamela Smith, chairwoman of the NBTA, previously said the CRT price rise was “discriminatory, unpopular, financially illiterate and quite possibly unlawful”, and that anger with the trust was “at a fever pitch”.

Reporting by PA.