Not so delightful

THE much acclaimed British Waterways vision for 2012 assures  visitors that they 'will be delighted with the quality of the experience and as a consequence many will become active participants'.

However, it is often the simple and mundane that dictates visitor perception and leaves a lasting impression, writes Allan Richards.

Pump out vs cassette

Whilst one would not expect British Waterways to make the experience of using a sanitary station delightful, for those on the cassette side of the cassette vs pump-out divide, it is very much a recurring necessity.

The photo's show the inside of the sanitary station at Kings Norton Junction, Birmingham in late May. The outside is hardly inviting with graffiti and rubbish but those who are brave enough to venture inside will be greeted with a gleaming washbasin complete with plug.

An absolute credit to British Waterways! It should be added that washbasin viewing is often available to the general public as well as boaters due to a door that can only be locked with considerable difficulty.

Something missing

Having found this gem, it would be churlish to point out that to use this wash basin for its intended purpose requires the user to provide his or her own water—it has no tap! Indeed, the whole facility seems to be devoid of water supply with no rinse-out tap and a cistern that does not flush.

It seems that the user not only needs to supply water but also a ladder as the paper towels are strategically placed out of reach on top of the cistern.

Unfortunately, the rest of the facility does not live up to the gleaming washbasin, being used as an an overflow for the rubbish dumped outside.

Certainly, the discarded porta potti base unit and water carrier were seen outside the facility a few days earlier even if the wall tiles on the floor were not.

Footwear

A caution to those who wish to see this pristine washbasin for themselves is to wear stout shoes or boots. This intrepid boater dared to enter wearing wearing sandals, and almost managed to spike himself on one of two discarded hypodermic needles. Those have been removed and safely disposed of.

However, until such time as British Waterways fixes the door it is probable that this particular facility will continue to be used by drug addicts.

Active participant

One has to wonder at the mentality of putting so much effort into cleaning a washbasin that cannot be used, whilst allowing the very real hazard of discarded drug needles. Why don't British Waterways just fix the door?

Whilst, this particular visitor became an active participant as envisaged by British Waterways' 2012 vision, that participation had more to do with being 'appalled by the quality of experience' rather than being delighted.

Bearing in mind British Waterways' negative response to a recent offer to remove graffiti, one is left wondering what sort of response would have been forthcoming to an offer to volunteer to remove and dispose of hypodermic needles.