Mink chews holes in speedboats at marina

A mink is being hunted after it chewed holes in speedboats at a marina, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. The animal was spotted by powerboat owner Elliott Maurice after he discovered a hole in the cabin of his £100,000 craft moored up at Brighton Marina.

The 36-year-old businessman said his suspicions were first raised when he noticed animal droppings on board his boat. He then noticed the hole in the cabin and caught sight of the mink on another boat as it gnawed at a piece of rope.

Mr Maurice said: "I went on the boat and found quite a strange smell and thought it was a bit odd. When I opened the cabin I saw droppings about the size of rat droppings. Then I saw a hole in the bulkhead about the size of a fist and I knew there was no way a rat could have done that.



"I went up to the harbour office and was told there is a mink on the loose - and then I saw the little sod."

Marina bosses said the mink has been on the loose for 10 days and are getting in a specialist team to hunt the creature before it does any more damage.

It is believed the mink is the offspring of one of hundreds set free by animal liberation activists in the late 1960s.