Victor reckons it's the wrong impression

READING the latest Brag Rag by Damien, it's giving the impression that Canal & River Trust has plenty of cash.

It bragging about such as 31 maintenance jobs this weekend (?) and undertaking 159 winter works—some of them major. Not forgetting all the money spent on its reservoirs, contractors and wildlife.

Now what will those holding the purse strings in the government make of that?  I should think they believe everything is fine if they can manage so much on its present income and certainly give the impression they have enough cash.

Wouldn't it have been better to state 'attempting/hoping to' or such like so give the impression that it may do all it can until the cash runs out?.  

All Damien has done—instructed of course by his masters—is give the impression that all is okay and it has the cash it needs for all that work.

Wrong impression. It should tell of the many outstanding works and the stoppage a day due to the crumbling infrastructure. Then it may get some cash—by telling it like it is....

Meeting the people

Still referring to Damien's effort, when Richard Parry first took over as boss-man from the former British Waterways, he made a point of 'meeting the people' at various venues once a month.

The picture shows him at a Nottingham venue doing just that.  However one fella heckled as he did not get an answer to his question, that rather spoilt the meeting for he was silenced by eventually being threatened with being thrown out.

There were not many more meetings.

Bit of a shambles

I have been told of  a number of complaints about the operation by volunteers at both Foxton Flight on the Leicester Section and Five Rise Flight on the Leeds & Liverpool.

It seems that at Foxton though there is a passing point half way up the flight some volunteers insists upon letting boats down together then boats up together ignoring the half way passing place.

Another complain was that a volunteer had two boats meeting in a lock before the passing place (they are single locks) and getting in a mess. Perhaps the reason why boats were allowed down then up separately! Then further complaints that they were not told which paddles to use first—and there is a definite order,

We first passed through Foxton in 1998, with locky Crystal certainly in charge with an eye on the paddle working by boaters telling them (and us!): 'Red before the white you'll be alright, white before the red you'll wish you were dead!'

On the Five Rise on the Leeds & Liverpool there have been many delays as some volunteers cannot grasp there is a way for boats to pass on the broad lock flight with having the water ready for each.

Barry at the Five Rise was the permanent locky being a law in himself, having the passage of boats arrange perfectly, and woe betide any boaters who ignored! Here's a picture taken some 23 years ago in 2001 when we passed though.

The third time

Would you believe that for the third time, yesterday, Friday 15th, CaRT would have us believe that the Erewash Canal between Sandiacre Lock and Gallows Inn Lock is experiencing  low water levels  due to lock gates being left open.

Yet on Thursday 14th we were informed the Erewash between Sandiacre Lock and Gallows Inn Lock was experiencing  low water levels due to lock gates being left open.

Back on Wednesday 13th we were informed the Erewash between Sandiacre Lock and Gallows Inn Lock was experiencing  low water levels due to lock gates being left open.

That leaves me to ask—were those gates left open separately on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday or where they left open all three days?

It's bloody stupid isn't  it? I would just like to know how these bottom gates left open would drain a canal, when the top gates are obviously firmly closed?

I would suggest that whoever writes this drivel be taken by the hand and shown a lock and how leaving any set of gates—top or bottom—left open cannot possibly 'cause low water levels'. 

In exasperation, Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years