The actor Timothy Spall has been banned from taking his barge to the Thames Festival after his wife accidentally registered the 52ft Dutch barge as a battleship.

When registering online, Mrs Spall said the barge, named Princess Matilda, was a battleship.

She later corrected the mistake, but festival organisers have rejected the application.

Adrian Evans, director of the Thames Festival, told the Evening Standard: “Our first priority is to deliver a safe event for all participants and it would be irresponsible of us to jeopardise our careful planning by seeking to introduce her at such a late stage.”

The actor, who was rescued from a lost barge by the RNLI last month, is currently filming his attempt to circumnavigate Britain for the BBC.

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