PRETTY it certainly ian’t, But [Bagnall Lock] is functional for now. So long as the temporary repair does not become permanent.  I guess for those caught in a stoppage they would prefer a solution rather than a long wait, writes Kevin McNiff.

Much has been said about the bottom gates which are so out of balance they swing open almost as soon as they are closed. 

Repaired Bagnall369Two ways

There are two ways of preventing this; a friend of ours loops a short line around the mitre posts of swinger gates while the lock fills, and the other is to carefully back your stern onto the mitred gates [avoiding pinching the rudder in the gap, though properly fitted stern fenders would prevent this]. Photograph by Stan White.

The picture clearly shows how rotten the beam had become so CaRT should have flagged this up much sooner.  That said, how many times do we see boaters attempting to open a gate before the water has levelled off.  So, before someone points out that the leakage from the bottom gates is greater than the inflow of water, then the gentle art of assisting the gate with the boat’s engine comes into play (emphasis on gentle).