A giant river pontoon measuring about 60ft in length was left hanging precariously over Shrewsbury’s weir after it was set loose by vandals. It was cut loose from Shrewsbury School Boat Club.

It then travelled downstream from the club in Kingsland on Friday night before ending up stuck over the weir.

Ian Turner, boatman of the club, said that he believed youths had snapped the shackles linking the pontoon to the riverbank, using pliers or spanners, before using it as a free ride down the river.

He said that he had called the Environment Agency on Saturday and its staff had now removed the huge object.

Mr Turner said: “We have to tie it with shackles rather than padlocks because they would seize up and we wouldn’t be able to disengage it during a flood.

“I discovered it in the early hours of Saturday after a little night out when I came back and noticed it had gone. Myself and a friend went out and found it up by the railway bridge.

“Because it’s 60ft long it’s very unlikely it would have found it’s way through the English Bridge. I think some kids got on it and had a free ride home.”

Mr Turner said he tied the pontoon to the riverbank with some rope but said somebody had untied it again before it later made its way down to the weir.

He said: “I called up the Environment Agency who were already aware and had some calls about it being an obstruction on the weir and a potential hazard. They removed it very quickly.”