Two powerboaters have been banned from racing for five years for tampering with a rival’s boat. Former European champion Rob Lister and his navigator William Nocker were disqualified from the Liverpool Grand Prix after allegedly pouring water into another competitor’s tank.

The Fat Boy racing team, Lister, from Lymington, and Nocker, from Cheltenham, were charged with gross misconduct and unsportsmanlike behaviour at an RYA disciplinary tribunal in Southampton. They were stripped of their racing licences and will not be issued with new ones before 2012.

Roger Trotman, chairman of the RYA Disciplinary Board, said ‘The tribunal’s decision, having taken into account all the available evidence and witness statements, sends out a very clear message that misconduct and unsporting or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated within our sport.’

The Fat Boy Racing team has 10 days to give notice of its intention to appeal against the ruling.