A lot less stoppages

I REALLY believe that your various contributors are forgetting a rather important aspect in their arguments about more or less stoppages in former days, writes Brian Hawkins.

And that is that the '20 years or so' ago that is being bandied about was when the Huddersfield Canal was completely derelict, as was half of the Rochdale Canal and for some extent so was the Kennet & Avon Canal, as I well remember the pictures in narrowboatworld of these various restorations, and that has been going just 17 years.

Concerned these waterways

Remembering many of the stoppages over the recent months many concerned these three waterways, and though they were restored in full, many of their former locks, swing bridges etc were 'patched-up' and of course after use are causing problems.

Looking back over the months it can clearly be seen that these three waterways are the cause of the major stoppages—there were three in one week on the Huddersfield Narrow—leaks on the Rochdale and swing bridge problems on the Kennet & Avon.

The above picture shows the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in its stage of restoration, whilst this picture shows the Caen Hill Flight on the Kennet & Avon Canal before restoration.

Forced to be more stoppages

As they had not been restored during the '20 years or so' ago, they could not cause stoppages, so now there are forced to be more stoppages than in the past, it is clearly obvious.

Since that time there have been more restorations, so all add up to the possible increase in stoppages today.