Email: Tighten up inspection procedures

Although we need to keep from being too panicky about boat safety and lock walls as I have just read on the site—I do think that Canal & River Trust should indeed be worried.

And more to the point—at least show us that they do care and are actively tightening up on their inspection procedures. I myself—when out boating on lots of occasions have seen the clipboard/pad and the tick in the box happening.

So I too am not totally convinced that all due care to the paying customer is or has ever taken place—remember the Staffs and Worcs lock bridges? (Odd really when you see how health and safety is used by Cart to suit itself when needed!) It is also no good a waterway manager using the 'we are a charity so do not have pots of money' card when asked about the fixing of said lock—what was the excuse in the British Waterways years then when it was no different?

The fact is that so much is wasted on office staff and suchlike and the let's wait until its broke before we fix it culture—that they may discover that one day luck could run out and the spending has to be more prioritised to the system and the safety of said paying customer instead of fancy job/office titles and voles/butterflies/newt interests to name but many.

Years ago, I and many others said that cutting the ladders into the lock side could only weaken the lock walls (not the cause obviously on lock 12) and the money wasted on silly projects like the bollards could also have been put to greater good—one could go on forever.

Good news—it is great to see the Basingstoke open at last. We all must get there as soon as possible to keep it that way.

Dave Carden.