CaRT were warned of a possible Middlewich breach
THE Canal & River Trust were warned of the possibility of a breach on the Middlewich Branch, yet chose to ignore it.
One of our trusted contributors knew a boater who complained that though he had told CaRT two and a half years ago of the possibility of a breach being caused on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal by the speeding boats out of Middlewich, the warning was not taken seriously, and as all now know, it breached, dramatically.
Victor too warned of a breach
Not only were boaters warning of the speeding boats causing damage to the banks but Victor too told of the possibility of a breach on the Middlewich Branch three years ago! Here's what he wrote in April 2015 whilst moored on the actual branch:
'But before long a tidal wave went past—She Who Must, etc, etc describes the Anderton Marina hire boat causing it crewed by a bunch of lads as going 'Like a bat out of hell!'.
And then another! I heard it steaming towards us at very high revs and even faster than the first, obviously trying to catch up, but we just held tight whilst it passed, very nearly putting us on the bank, again a bunch of lads and again an Anderton hire boat.
But I was ready for the third—yes, the rate of knots it was going was a dead give-away, it was another Anderton hire boat, and again crewed by lads. I put my head out of the hatch and told them that 'you are supposed to slow down past moored boats', at which, the steerer volubly apologised, and though a little late, actually slowed down. At least they seem a better class of booze cruisers at Anderton!
Where we were moored there was piling protecting the banks, but further towards Middlewich itself there was little such protection, and the way those boats speed out of Wardle Lock with their bow waves slamming the banks there is every possibility of a breach in the offing."
And it came to pass...