The Portland Harbour Revision Order 1997

Removal of obstructions other than vessels

8.—(1) The Company may remove anything, other than a vessel, causing or likely to become an obstruction to, or cause interference with, navigation in any part of the harbour or any approach thereto and may take such steps as appear to them to be appropriate to prevent or minimise such obstruction or interference.

(2) If anything removed by the Company under paragraph (1) above is so marked as to be readily identifiable as the property of any person, the Company shall, within 28 days of its coming into their custody, give written notice to that person stating that, upon proof of ownership to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company, possession may be re-taken at a place named in the notice within the period specified in the notice (being not less than 14 days after the notice is served) and, if possession of the thing removed is not so retaken, it shall at the end of that period vest in the Company.

(3) (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2) above the Company may, at such time and in such manner as they think fit, dispose of anything removed under paragraph (1) above which is not so marked as to be readily identifiable as the property of any person or which is of a perishable nature or the custody of which involves unreasonable expense or inconvenience.

(b) If anything disposed of by the Company under this paragraph is sold, the Company may retain out of the proceeds of sale any expenses incurred by them under this article, and any surplus—

(i) shall be paid to any person who within three months from the time when the thing came into the custody of the Company proves to the reasonable satisfaction of the Company that he was the owner thereof at that time; or

(ii) if within the said period no person proves his ownership at the said time, shall vest in the Company.

(4) If the proceeds of sale of anything removed under this article are insufficient to reimburse the Company for the said expenses, or there is no sale because the thing is unsaleable, the Company may recover the deficiency, or, where there is no sale, the whole of the expenses, from the person who was the owner at the time when the thing removed came into the custody of the Company or who was the owner at the time of its abandonment or loss.