Victor wonders if the Wendover Arm restoration is in jeopardy?

IS CaRT giving-up on supporting the restoration of the Wendover Arm?

A 10 days May work party started on 10th May, with an extra day arranged before the work party to pump excess water from the work area, with the plan to continue the canal lining, by completing the 40m laid during April and profiling the next 40m ready for relining during June.

However the Wendover Trust's Chairman received a notice from Canal & River Trust on the 11th May asking to pause the work to be able to carry out a review.

The notice told the review was to ensure that current methods continue to meet latest environmental standards etc.

Yet there seems no reason for this, as there have been no accidents or near misses reported during the work party.

Throughout the restoration they have always ensured that they adhere to relevant legislation, worked closely with CaRT and have its approval for what is done and the methods used.  Needless to tell, the people are worried that all their previous work will have been in vain, should CaRT decide to withdraw from the restoration. As it did in fact, in the case of the planned restoration of the Thames & Severn Canal...

Is that the reason?

In the 25 years we have been at Sawley Marina we have never known the nearby Derwent Mouth Lock being short of water—after all it's fed by the Trent that has never stopped flowing!

But CaRT told on Thursday that the Trent & Mersey that is fed by the river has a shortage of water so the lock is closed, but not Shardlow Lock just a mile or so above!

Boater Ralph Freeman crossing the Trent on the A38 on the Thursday, saw the river was still flowing and Barton Marina too, also fed by the Trent, had normal water levels.

I just wonder that after so many complaints from boaters about the difficult broad locks up from Derwent Mouth the powers-that-be have closed the lock to stop boaters using the waterway and therefore stopping the complaints—ours included with Jan complaining at Crick Show about Weston and Swarkestone and even ringing for assistance at Weston whose gates we are unable to move...

Then obviously CaRT felt better of it, as suddenly 'owing to increased water levels'—though not a single spot of rain—the lock was reopened!

Sort that one out!

Keeping up the trend

The bad news for boaters is carrying on this month as far as stoppages are concerned.

For CaRT is keeping-up with its rate of stoppages, with 18 so far this month up to Friday the 9th—yes, that's an average of two stoppages a day being continued.

Mind you the 3rd and 4th of the month were particularly bad with three stoppages a day!

The Huddersfield Narrow, Ripon and Rochdale (of course!) canals all closed on the 3rd then the K&A, North Stratford and the K&A yet again on the 4th.

The K&A closures are most worrying for boaters as there were three last month in addition to the three already this month.

The poor 'Wink'

Yes it's the 'Wink on the Blink' again. Closed on Thursday making it closed four times in just over a month.

There is surely something amiss with the Grand Union Canal Winkwell Swing Bridge it needing engineers so often and the reasons always 'a fault'—sometimes mechanical sometimes electrical.

Is it the same mechanical or electrical faults?  If so, why is it when they are repaired they break again so soon? 

Or is it a contractors' fault...

Victor Swift—telling tales for 23 years