Wonderful British Waterways

Published: Friday, 09 April 2010

After returning from an Easter trip on our broad beam on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal felt I just had to contact you to sing the praises of our wonderful British Waterways, writes Lesley Carter.

Thank you BW for the extra lock ladder that you have placed on all the locks. This is a truly inspired addition as is the third bollard that you have put on the locks, but it's just a little unbelievable that BW has spent probably millions on these useless additions to make them look good when the locks and the canal are in such a run-down state.

Not working since last year

Ground paddles—not working since last year or just not there. Interesting gate paddles—broken since last year with very nice AWARE tags on them. Do they think we boaters are totally stupid as to even believe that BW would be detached from something as important as lock ladders in order to repair or replace something as trivial as gate and ground paddles?

Trees cut back on the towpaths so as not to poke bikers and walkers in the eyes, but on the offside of the canal the trees are encroaching half way across to remove stacks, hats and not to forget eyes from boaters who pay for the upkeep of the canal.

Fallen trees

Fallen trees making the canal a slalom course for boats, demanding that boats wait their turn to pass.

It would be nice to buy shares in the company that produces the orange netting which is multiplying day by day all over the towpaths and locks—very colourful.

Towpaths that are not part of the cycleways, like swamps ankle deep in mud and most is chewed up by cyclists.

Pound being lowered

We heard today that the Marton pound between Greenberfield and Bank Newton on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is being lowered by two inches in September because of the vast number of leaks on the length. Any boat with more than 2ft 2in draft will be confined to the middle. This should prove interesting when two wide beams wish to pass each other.

The same swing bridges reported last year reported again this year a number of times. Stiff almost impossible to open, handcuff locks broken and just generally in a terrible state.

But on the good side well done BW for the useless second ladder and the third bollard.

Would it be possible to get a reduction in our licence fee for not being able to use, and in some places moor on our canal?

Listen to the boaters

Take your head out of the clouds BW and listen to the boaters who seem to have more of a clue than you do about how to look after a canal. Stop paying yourselves big fat bonuses, and look after the heritage that has been entrusted to you and the boaters that pay their licences but get none of the benefits,  that seem to go to everyone else like cyclists, walkers and anglers.

Mrs Lesley Carter