INSPECTORS will be out on the River Trent at Gainsborough over the August Bank Holiday weekend – to check if every boat on the water has a valid licence.

And owners who have forgotten or failed to make sure their craft is legal will be risking a hefty fine.

Using local waterways without a registration certificate could lead to a horrible sinking feeling – and leisure boat owners up to £1,000 out of pocket.

The Environment Agency is warning of a crackdown on the Trent and nearby canals as part of a weekend of inspections across Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. Any unregistered boats which are caught could end up being part of a prosecution. Environment Agency river inspectors regularly patrol checking for unregistered craft – and will take action if people are flouting the law.

"Our enforcement team's aim is to ensure all craft using the waterways are registered," said Candy Reed of the waterways team.

"The message to boaters is clear – if they fail to register and their boat is on the water, they are committing an offence and could end up with a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000 and they will still have to pay the registration fee. Last year, we took legal action against 68 boaters. The vast majority of boaters abide by the law – during the 2009/2010 season 5,874 registrations were sold, raising £1.6million. We take registration evasion very seriously and anyone thinking of using our waterways without doing so should watch out, there could well be a river inspector about."

All the money raised from boat registration sales goes towards improving and maintaining Environment Agency waterways.

To register a craft, boaters need to pay a fee and may also need a valid boat safety certificate.

For information on how to register your boat, contact the Environment Agency, Income Department 311, PO Box 263, Peterborough, PE2 8YD or call 0845 60 70 330.

Alternatively, email navigation@environment -agency.gov.uk. Anyone with information about unregistered craft should contact via the enforcement email address: waterways.enforcement@ environment-agency.gov.uk