Built for boats and boats only
ALREADY somewhat disillusioned with the world in general and Canal & River Trust in particular, I was not surprised to see the latest idiocy that is now being brought to bear on the Ashby Canal, writes Orph Mable.
The blinkered zealots of Natural England and the local angling fraternity want to reduce or stop the boats as they ‘are destroying the marine ecology'.
Not natural
Will someone please tell Natural England that canals are not ‘natural'; they are man-made and require human assistance to exist! Without the boats, the canal would have not been there in the first place.
The only reason that the canal was built initially was to provide a waterway for boats. It was not to provide a pastime for anglers, not to provide homes for newts, not to provide a nursery for rare aquatic flora, but a route for boats!
Blinkered world
In order to enable boats to navigate they must have sufficient water throughout the year, culverts and structures, such as bridges, must be maintained and towpaths kept clear. I assume that Natural England and the anglers will require CaRT and the Ashby volunteers to continue to provide all the funding and labour to maintain the waterway but don't want ‘nasty' boats to upset their blinkered world.
Once again vested interest is attempting to ‘adjust' the world to suit a particular section (minority?) of society to the detriment of others. It makes me want to suggest that CaRT fill the lot in, plant evergreen shrubs along the length and erect a few Graffiti Walls. That way an even smaller group will be satisfied but maintenance costs will be greatly reduced!