AT MIDDAY on the 20th June Canal & River Trust sent the following email, writes John Kelly.
'...A number of pounds on the Wolverhampton lock flight have been drained as a result of vandalism. The lock flight has been closed with immediate effect whilst work is carried out and the navigation will be open again this evening'.
The following day this email was sent
'Our investigations have revealed the lock wall has moved significantly, probably through water ingress from the recent vandalism, (my emphasis) and it would now pose a danger to any boat using it. We have therefore reluctantly closed the lock until repairs can be carried out. At this stage it is envisaged the lock will remain closed until at least the 12th of July.'
However on the 19th June, the day before the reported vandalism, the following appeared in the ‘Captain Ahab's Watery Tales' blog (Watery Tales):
'Saltaire turned into the Wolverhampton 21 and got as far as lock 20 when it stuck fast. The lock gate wasn't opening fully and Slataire's beamy 7ft was having none of it...'
Blaming the vandals for the problem is very convenient for CaRT, but it might be possible that the problem with the lock pre-dated the vandalism. The concern of course is that if there is a problem with this lock, not caused by vandalism, can CaRT assure boaters that the other locks in the flight are not similarly affected?