Today could be the last Bank Holiday to enjoy a cruise in a small boat on the Thames as new rules that may cost a vessel £500,000 threaten to bring their voyages to an end

“If they can survive all that, it seems odd these ships should fall foul of government regulations.”

Like many Thames boats, Connaught, built in 1911 by the Salter Brothers for Joseph Mears of Richmond, is designed perfectly to pass beneath bridges, whatever the height of the tidal water.

In wartime she served as a hospital ship for the River Emergency Service, carrying Blitz casualties swiftly to safety when bombed streets hampered ambulances.

In 2012, with many dignitaries on board, Connaught led the way for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant along the Thames. If she is forced to update according to the new rules, she would completely lose her Edwardian charm.

The Henley is even older. It was launched in 1896 as one of the original Thames Steamers built by Edwin Clarke and Company at Grays, Essex. Her original engine is now on display at the London Museum ofWater & Steam at Kew.

The first passenger steamboats on the Thames go back to 1815.

They proved immensely popular and by the middle of the 19th century, 15,000 Londoners were travelling back and forth along the waterway. Many of the boats were designed to carry pleasure-seeking Victorians in comfort, with outside viewing platforms and capacious saloons serving food and drink.

The most tragic Thames passenger accident was in 1878 when the SS Princess Alice paddle steamer collided with a collier ship near Woolwich. Breaking into three parts, it rapidly sank with the loss of more than 600 lives.

In the aftermath, the Marine Police Force was given steam launches to patrol the river, rather than inadequate rowing boats.

Exploring the upper reaches of the Thames has always proved popular and the elegant Goring dates from 1912, sailing as far as Oxford.The Devon Belle is equally happy along this stretch but has a more dramatic history.

Originally called the Seymour Castle, the 60-footer was built in 1938 by Ferris & Blank in Devon and also made her contribution to Operation Dynamo in 1940.

You can always tell Dunkirk veteran ships by the brass plaque they are entitled to display. Retained by the Admiralty, Devon Belle was back in action in 1944 to haul the massive portable Mulberry harbours to Normandy to help Allied troops disembark after D-Day.

She was once owned by naturalist Tony Soper, who used her for wildlife spotting cruises from Plymouth and Dartmouth before she ended up on the Thames.

JUST like veteran cars or train engines, many argue that heritage ships should be exempt from more stringent modern safety demands that would alter their very structure.

If you own a classic car with no seatbelt, there is no obligation to have one fitted. It would disfigure the beautiful vehicle – and the same must be true of historic craft.

Former First Sea Lord and Falklands veteran Admiral Lord West is furious about the health and safety lunacy.

“These are far too draconian,” he says of the proposed regulations. “They would take out the lower saloon, they would blank off all the windows, they would put in more site bulkheads. I believe it’s just heavy handed.”

He points out such alterations would not have saved the passengers of the Marchioness when it was struck and sunk by the dredger Bowbelle 30 years ago in 1989.An inquiry blamed a lack of lookouts for the tragic night-time collision.

There is always concern for river safety, but with heritage vessels many argue there must be room to apply these rules with common sense so they can still operate.

Lord West, who is spearheading the Save London’s Passenger Boats campaign, argues: “We are in a litigious era where there is always someone to blame and they’re very nervous. But I’m afraid we’ve gone too far in this case.”

When the Maritime and Coastguard Agency report goes before Parliament later this year, MPs have the opportunity to preserve the brave little ships so many more generations can enjoy them.

In 2020, the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships is planning to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the epic rescue mission.

Whether our vintage working Thames passenger vessels will be part of it, only time will tell.