New lightweight stop planks

TESTING has been carried out on the Trent & Mersey Canal by British Waterways on a lighter version of stop planks made of aluminium.

Not only are these much lighter, but are telescopic, so that they can be used at most situations, by simply adjusting to the correct length, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Be carried

This will solve the problem of locating the correct length plank, and very often finding they have been stolen, as the new version  will be able to be carried in workers vehicles.

Being aluminium the new planks will be much easier to handle, though unlike the present wooden ones that float to the surface as each plank is removed, they will have to be 'fished' out, but this is not seen as a great problem.