THE lock failure on the Wolverhampton 21 couldn't have come at a worse time for Canal & River Trust, for it is this week-end that its new Chief Executive Richard Parry agreed to cruise up the locks to see the state of the waterways.
When live-aboard boater John Sloan's tongue-in-cheek offer to take Canal & River Trust (CaRT) 'chief executive in waiting' Richard Parry up the notorious Wolverhampton 21 was accepted, nobody could have been more surprised, writes Allan Richards.
Parlous state
It is understood that John Sloan is currently sitting in his boat at the bottom of the 21 waiting to take Richard Parry up this weekend. However, following the closure, it is not known if John will be joined by Richard. Nevertheless, the new chief executive will be left in no doubt that the waterways he is taking on are in a parlous state as evidenced by the unscheduled closures during the first year of the Trust, due to infrastructure failure.
It remains to be seen if Mr Parry is strong enough to take on the 'old guard' with its ludicrous claims that the waterways are in great shape.