Victor: Lying its way out of its responsibility

Published: Sunday, 09 September 2018

NO GENERAL updates I'm afraid until the end of the month, as we have gone boating, but I may tell a tale or two in the interim, and here's a very sorry tale now...

It is of course relating to the sheer hypocrisy of Canal & River Trust and its Press Release to the newspapers blaming boaters for the Middlewich Branch breach. (A release it 'forgot' to send to us!)

The trust told how a boater had left the gates open causing such a rush of water that it took the bank away, that such as the Telegraph and the Express unwittingly pounced on, with the blame on a boater.

But so thick are those editors they did look into it further and then realise that should a boater leave the bottom gates open it would be impossible with the massive pressure on the top gates that they could possibly be opened and cause such a surge.

But for Cart to spread such downright misinformation shows how it is now so out of touch that either the person responsible has absolutely no idea of the working of the canals, or nearer the truth, someone wants to shift the blame from its own inadequacy of maintaining the waterways to blaming the boaters for everything that now goes wrong.

Most boaters know the real reason, as we experienced when moored on the Middlewich Branch in 2013, when Middlewich hirers came hurtling passed to reach the nearest pub before nightfall, causing an almighty wash taking the banks away.

Of course there are now no examinations, so eventually the bank collapsed causing a breach. But Cart do not want anyone to know this, so keep to what looks very much like the current policy—blame a boater—that beggars belief.

Why so long

But why did it take so many months after the event to eventually release this inaccurate information?

Was it because the 'blame the boater' policy that has been piecemeal up to now for failures has now become official policy?

This will give the impression that Cart is maintaining the canals but the boaters are wrecking them.

Sounds about right, eh? 

Back to the Caldon

Though it was only a couple of years ago we 'did' the Caldon to Leek, it seems the only 'safe' waterway these days is the Trent & Mersey, so off we go, this time to Frogall as we have only been once previously.

"Oh no we don't!" Remarks Thomas, telling that Hazelhurst locks down to the Froghall Branch are closed.

Victor Swift