Keep Bermuda Beautiful has called on various Government departments to come together and tackle the issue of abandoned boats around the island.

As this newspaper reported on Wednesday, the issue of abandoned boats is causing concern among members of the community.

KBB executive director Anne Hyde, yesterday recalled the success of a previous initiative which cleared derelict boats left over from the affects of Hurricane Fabian.

“A few years ago Marine and Ports teamed up with other Government departments to remove unsafe and abandoned boats,” she said. “As I recall, it was a large collaboration of Marine and Ports, The Parks Department, Waste Management, Environmental Health and the Marine Police divers.

“It would be great to encourage these same Government departments to get together once again and do the final push to clear our waterways and beaches of the final remaining boats. These boats are not only an eyesore, but pose a safety, health and pollution hazard as well.

“The situation will only get worse as the boats break apart and pollute the sea that surrounds us and threatens marine life and marine traffic.”

Ms Hyde said KBB is quite frequently contacted by concerned citizens regarding abandoned or sunken boats, adding: “We, in turn, report these boats to Marine and Ports with the boat registration numbers.”