Victor: Can you see any sense in this?

Published: Sunday, 02 September 2018

THE Canal & River Trust opened the Wootton Rivers summit pound on the Kennet & Avon at 10am yesterday then...

...closed a nearby lock four hours later at 2pm, to prevent it being used and thus waste water—once again stopping the navigation after just four hours.

Cart tells that as the water levels continue to slowly recover the summit pound between locks 54 and 55 was open for navigation, but alas Lock 51 will be closed at 2pm to prevent the short pounds west of Lock 54 being drained. 

As to today..?—who knows?

New expensive power system fails

The new £250,000 power system for boaters at Sawley Marina did not last too long, as it failed with boaters unable to switch on their power by the new mobile phone based method as there was no connection!

The many calls to the marina office did not get any results either, as it could not solve the problem, leaving boaters—us included—wishing they had left well alone.

What are they doing?

Remember the six new directors that were appointed by Cart earlier this year? There's not been a murmur of what they are actually doing.

There was Ros Daniels, who has extensive experience of the heritage and tourism sector;  Richard Thomas, who was in the Royal Navy; Adnan Saif, who was in regeneration and economic development and is currently Chief Executive of the British Muslim Heritage Centre; Phil Mulligan, who has extensive senior management experience in the voluntary sector and Chief Executive of Environmental Protection UK.

The other two could be of some use to the actual running of the waterways—Sean McGinley, who was the East Midlands Waterway Manager and Daniel Greenhalgh responsible for delivery of major canal infrastructure projects, though we are not told what these projects are.

One thing for sure, they are not doing much towards the upkeep of our waterways.

I wonder why?

I wonder why we get so many boaters telling that they do not believe Cart's yearly maintenance spend figure? For surely the waterways would be in a damn sight better condition than they are now if the millions it would have us believe it spends on maintenance was correct.

Especially as such as the northern canals have had so little use this season so should be in cracking condition, which they are certainly not, hence they being closed.

Of course I well know why boaters, and I too, don't believe Cart's maintenance claims—for like its visitor claims they are obviously highly exaggerated.

Just a week

Not long now before we are off on our regular September cruise but still are not sure where is safe to go—but one thing for sure, it will not be the South Oxford, for if we manage to get to Oxford, I reckon with the state of the canal at the moment there is little chance of our getting back!

After only just missing the Leicester Section closure last September owing to its leaks, that too is a non starter.

Victor Swift