Could have saved a great deal of water

Published: Friday, 17 August 2018

AS A MIDDLEWICH resident and former narrowboat owner I took great interest in the breach of the Middlewich Branch, writes, Joseph Graton.

I got friendly with the engineers and as I had my narrowboat previously moored at Venetian Marina I asked what happens now to all the water that comes down from the locks when someone from the marina or the one further down at Church Minshull takes a boat up through them, bearing in mind they cannot go down owing to the breach.

Into the Weaver

The engineer told me that it would go over into the Weaver, which I thought a waste as then the hot weather had started and reservoirs were not being filled yet water was being wasted instead of feeding the Trent & Mersey as it did previously, yet now that it seems the hot weather has finished, I just read your story that pumps had been installed.

This seems indicative of the workings of Canal & River Trust who could have saved millions of gallons of precious water yet did nothing about it for over five months.