Appalling indictment of society today

The story in the news today about some youths pushing an old man into the Mersey in Warrington and just running away laughing, is an appalling indictment of society today, writes John Coxon.

How could they find it acceptable to treat an old man in that fashion then laugh as if it were fun, assume the old man liked it and would come to no harm?

Could be attempted murder

Stupidity of the worst kind amounting to attempted murder is what I call it. If it had happened a couple of months ago the chances are that he would not have survived the ducking!

I now understand an arrest has been made, let us just hope he is punished appropriately but I'll not place any bets on it!

What are we coming to in this country, where has the respect, compassion, and neighbourliness gone? To assault an old man and call it fun is just about the lowest form of degradation anyone could stoop to! These youths don't respect themselves so it's no surprise they don't respect anyone or anything else!

Boaters generally like to moor in out of the way places which used to be quiet and generally secluded!

Cyclopaths freeways

Not any more! The upgraded cyclopaths freeways generated by CaRT have made those areas just as bad as most town centres. Noise from before dawn to well into the night means the stress is getting to some boaters. Some old favourite moorings are now becoming no-go areas because if it. Crowds of youths roaming along them now because CaRT are just pandering to the cyclopaths and making it so easy for them to commit crimes and leave the area quickly.

With boaters not knowing if the noise they hear is innocent or not and being effectively restricted to their boats for over a year as well as having to put up with rude and unruly folk, offensive cyclists and motor bikes on the towpath. A motorbike nearly hit me one evening at about 5.30pm and I was moored in Stone.

Not able to move

Also not able to move very far because of stoppages, not being able to plan any trips with any certainty of completing them etc. CaRT not stating what they expect from us then trying to blame the boater for a rule breach he knows nothing about, so it's no wonder tempers get frayed. I would not be surprised to find it was something like a disagreement that got out of hand that resulted in the CaRT worker's death in Aylesbury!

One thing that has come to the fore just lately is that boaters feel neglected and abandoned. They are more and more expressing a frustration about not having a method of complaint to anyone who will listen and/or do anything about it.

This really depresses people. It's no wonder they feel neglected and abandoned? There is absolutely no respect, compassion or neighbourliness from our so called charitable trust? Just a demand for more and more money to spend on more and more stupid schemes!

Disgusting state of the navigation

The disgusting state of the navigation at the start of this season proves it as far as I'm concerned! Boaters are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to work being done but at the top when the demands for money come about!

We need a sort of OFNAV, an office of navigation, like OFCOM or OFSTED etc. to oversee CaRT, the EA, Middle Level Commissioners, Peel's Wharf (the Bridgewater owners) the Broads, Avon and Thames authorities et al.

It is quite obvious that these organisations are not caring charities...but purely businesses and should be treated as such.