The new way

I ATTACH something from Damian Kemp (Canal & River Trust Boating Consultation and Communications Manager) copied from his latest missive  about cutting back vegetation, writes Chris Powis.

'Quite rightly our ecologists play a crucial role and keep us on the straight and narrow when it comes to concerns over nesting birds and such like. However, the number one consideration for vegetation management is, and has always been, safety. That's the same whether we're talking about low hanging branches impeding a boater's sightline round a bend in the navigation or overgrown grass obscuring the water's edge'.

Justify

What utter drivel the man writes! CaRT would be better served by giving the man a mower and making him do a real job instead of sitting writing c**p to try and justify his existence.

We were on our shared boat on the stretch between Napton Junction and Braunston last week when we saw a CaRT 'blueshirt' walking the towpath, hand-held tablet and stylus in hand checking something or other. About an hour later, we saw a CaRT 'whiteshirt' doing the same thing a little further along. We returned to Napton the following afternoon and saw that the towpath vegetation had been very neatly trimmed back to the edge, except on the blind bends underneath overhanging tree branches. Whose safety is he on about? Not mine— clearly!

Inability to see

While writing on this topic, it was our first time on the Oxford Canal and very pretty it is too. Only thing that spoiled it was the inability to see over the untrimmed grass, nettles, weeds and saplings on the towpath side which has not been trimmed in years for the growth to have become so established. How are we supposed to get off the boat in an emergency when you can't see the ground for the weeds?!

In case anyone wonders I am talking about Napton Junction to Fenny Compton where we had to turn round because of a problem with the boat but I have no doubt it is as bad further South.