DIRTY TRICKS
News of Laser's imminent return had been rumoured for some months before­hand, the ship had been completely overhauled and new studios fitted. As a result of this, Customs and Excise, prompted by the DTI raided the ship at the end of September, and removed engine parts effectively immobilising the ship. As well as the Customs & Excise, the DTI had also put pressure on the company supplying fuel to the "Communicator". The Managing Director of Selixarc Tug Company is quoted in "The Standard" for Friday 10th October 1986, "the Department of trade has advised us if we supply fuel or any service to the Communicator knowing it might be used as a pirate radio Station, we could be left open to the risk of prosecution. Although I do not suspect it would be, I was not prepared to take the risk and we have stopped supplying fuel to the Communicator". The ships owner Ray Anderson of EAP felt this was all part of a "dirty tricks" campaign by the DTI.
On 20th October 1986, during force 11 storms the Communicator anchored in the River Stour off Shotley, was blown about half a mile down-river when she dragged anchor. As the engines had been immobilised by Customs, the ship was unable to manoeuvre and dragged along the side of a Sealink ferry. "Apart from the feeling that we are being victimised by the government department which organised surveillance when it was used for broadcasting, there seems to be considerable cause for concern on safety grounds", said the ships owner Ray Anderson and added, "Although the Sealink ferry was not badly damaged, if the same thing happened again then thousands of pounds of damage could be caused. It was also drawn to my attention that when the Communicator dragged its anchor there was an oil tanker loading nearby, if our boat had punctured the side of the tanker, then there could have been hundreds of gallons of oil flowing out into the Stour". A Customs and Excise spokesman said that engine bearings had been removed on orders from the Department of Transport, but a DOT spokesman said, "That is nothing to do with us, the immobilisation of the engines is not our concern". However following the drifting incident the engine parts were eventually returned.