Victor shows the incompetence of CaRT's culvert repairs

Published: Saturday, 22 May 2021
IT WAS whilst cruising at Foxton we were told by a woman at a CaRT display stand that it had been brought in to rectify British Waterways incompetence.
FourDays600Here is the copy of an article from British Waterways publication Waterways News in 1994, concerning a culvert collapse that was rectified in just four days.
 
It certainly shows the incompetence of the present organisation who would have taken four days to assess the situation before starting with the Health & Safety Fencing then having to 'formalise a plan of works', and the work eventually completed many weeks later.

Six weeks to repair the culvert failure at Hebden Bridge on the Rochdale, eight weeks for the culvert failure at Audlem on the Shroppie, and the current one on the Macc we are told taking ten weeks to repair.

Doesn't seem to me as though Canal & River Trust is rectifying anything...

And why so many culvert failures? For recently there were others at Chadderton on the Rochdale and Arley Wood on the Leeds & Liverpool. I don't remember many culvert failures in the time of British Waterways, that to me shows lack of inspection and maintenance by this lot.

Are they crazy?

A Mya -Rose Craig has complained to the RSPCA (it was the RSPCA and not the RSPB) and objected that photographs used by the organisation of such as female Canada Geese being shown smaller that the males and calls it 'sexism'!

With the RSPCA actually agreeing with her telling it is a 'fair point'.

Words really do fail me.

Bad news for Ripon

Already locked in at Ripon Marina for a month, the 200 boats have little chance of escaping in the near future as CaRT now tells us that it has discovered Oxclose Lock (3) timber floor is damaged with a hole underneath so now it is investigating a 'safe method of working' (that's a new one!) before anything can be done.

More bad news, as the trust tells it has to 'source new timbers for the lock floor and lead in times to procure such timber is currently several weeks, though we will attempt to reduce this'.

So no escape for a while.  Pity British Waterways is not in charge.  Without all this 'formalising a plan of works' and now 'safe method of working' taking weeks.  eh?

More bad news

Isn't there always? I hear you ask!

No luck with the reopening of the Regent's Canal I'm afraid, with Keith telling that though closed last Monday it still remains closed between Bridge 33 and Oblique Bridge 31, 'due to structural issues which could result in falling objects at Bridge 33 west of St Pancras Lock'.

Not at all sure what that means, but it seems a third party issue, and boaters can only hope its not the start of arguments of who is responsible, as such a third party issue on the Rochdale took weeks to settle.

Victor Swift