Pressure gets Elsan action

THE Elsan disposal point at Dundas Basin on the Kennet & Avon Canal was taken out of service four months ago and has remained inoperable ever since, writes Allan Richards.

The next nearest facility in Bath is also unavailable because the navigation is at present closed.

Not fixed

It was not until a request was made under the Freedom of Information Act that British Waterways has taken any action. It seems that a temporary repair, at a cost of £3,000, will now be made next month with a permanent repair commencing later in the year.

Is British Waterways so broke that it could not spend £3,000 four months ago but had to wait until the next company financial year or is there another reason for the delay?

Article 8

Just as British Waterways' attempts to move boaters out of the London area will be seen by some as social cleansing prior to the Olympic games, this will be viewed as a crude attempt to displace liveaboard boaters from the Bath area by denying them basic rights under Article 8 of the European Convention.

Whatever the reason for not repairing the Elsan disposal point immediately it is rather an own goal for British Waterways.