Two closure in the first week

THERE have been two waterway closures in the first week of the new year, neither of them as part of winter maintenance, setting a worrying trend.

The first was a gate failure on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, with Gregory's Mill Lock (5) being out of action 'until further notice'. We are told we will be advised as soon as repairs are complete, though no intimation when, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Mysterious

The second failure is somewhat mysterious, as we are not told what the failure is, only that Devizes Lock (26) will be out of action from 12th to the 14th January, with the information that it is 'maintenance', though not part of the winter stoppages.

Is 'maintenance' to be the new excuse for failures?