Is the 'clutter' necessary?

Published: Thursday, 10 June 2010

ONE thing you notice straight away about the Bridgewater Canal is the lack of towpath 'clutter', writes Ralph Freeman.

The photo shows a 132KV power line crossing the canal. Out of shot is a simple warning sign on the offside bank.

The last time I looked at the map the Bridgewater Canal was in England, so one presumes the same Health & Safety rules apply as to the BW network So where are the three towpath signs warning of the danger of the overhead lines that BW tells us are mandatory?

Who do you believe; the Bridgewater Canal authorities within the Manchester Ship Canal Company or the bods in the quango that is BW?

It's also noticeable that the bridges have been maintained to a much higher standard. Perhaps that's because the money spent installing stupid posts on the towpath by BW has been spent on genuine maintenance tasks, such as bridge repairs, by the Bridgewater authorities?