Victor: Making it a dozen

WE LONG standing (or should that be long floating) boaters of the past days of British Waterways would never have then believed there would be 12 canals closed—yes, my friends, Canal & River Trust have made it a round dozen!

For now it is the Caldon that has bit the dust.

Once again its Ivy Lift Bridge is out of action, hit by a vehicle this time, so Cart would have us believe, but obviously so embarrassed by all the closures Cart that engineers were quickly on the case, with it hopefully being re-opened later today.

Strange on the Macclesfield

We now have the  promised update about the Macclesfield Canal stoppage, yet still no opening date, but another Cartism for us to ponder:

We are informed that the Macclesfield Canal is closed (yes, we know that) but this time by a boat sunk in Lock 9 on the Bosley Flight, but the good news is that the car has been recovered and the canal is now open as normal. 

Make of that what you will. It seems to me like sheer incompetence. To not only tell us a boat sunk but it was a car that was removed but what is worse telling the canal is open as normal when it certainly is not.

Still they come

Another closure, but it doesn't make it an unlucky 13 waterways, for it's another on the Rochdale Canal that already has a closure.

But this time it could be serious as there is 'significant distortion' in the lock gates at Pike House Lock (45) at Littleborough with its leakage draining the pound above.

Though an attempt is being made to solve this, if unsuccessful the summit will have to remain closed to enable a full stoppage repair to be undertaken.

The last thing it wants

The last thing that Cart wants at the moment is news of its many stoppages going national, but its closure of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal did exactly that with the BBC alone publicising it on the internet, radio and even television news, much to the chagrin of the trust.

To add to the trust's discomfiture the BBC found no few who blamed it and even showed badly leaking lock gates pointing out the lack of maintenance causing the waste of water.

However, with Cart's usual lack of knowledge it pointed out that boaters could find 'alternative routes', though of course neglected to name them, the only two, the Huddersfield Narrow and the Rochdale also being closed.

What a bloody mess. What bloody incompetence.

Baffled!

Come September and comes Cart's AGM, so looked on its site to see where and when it is to be held, to give you the chance to have your say, but baffled!

The date given is the 19th September 2019, 10:30am to 12:30pm to be held at the The Bond, Birmingham.

2019? Nothing for this year. Does this mean that those at Cart don't even know what year it is?

Fit for purpose? I don't think so.

Victor Swift