More than 50 abandoned boats are to be hauled out of the water and destroyed.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transport said that 17 vessels had recently been identified in addition to 37 other boats that had already been earmarked for disposal.

The spokeswoman said that no names or boat registration details could be found for any of the wrecks.

She said: “The additional 17 unknown abandoned and derelict vessels located in the Boaz Island, 9 Beaches, Ely’s Harbour, Morgan’s Hill Beach — Ely’s Harbour — Frank’s Bay and Jews Bay areas are not only unsightly but also present a hazard to other motoring vessels.”

The spokeswoman said boat owners had 30 days from today to remove abandoned vessels.

She warned that if people failed to respond, boats “may be disposed of, and if the vessel identity is subsequently determined upon recovery, then the costs incurred as a result of said disposal may be payable by you”.

The clean-up programme to remove the vessels is a partnership between the Government and Keep Bermuda Beautiful in line with a memorandum of understanding signed by the Minister of Transport.

For more information, contact pollutioncontrol@gov.bm