BW using litter pickers as lock keepers

Published: Monday, 12 July 2010

BOATERS on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal are worried that instead of the Three Rise flights being operated by official lock keepers, litter pickers are being used.

Boater Lesley Carter points out that the call for volunteers to work on the waterways basically stated that unemployed would be used, with the assistance of Bradford Motor Education Project, to carry out basic painting, litter clearance, minor towpath repairs and dry stone wall repairs on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Lesley wants to know that if these are the criteria for this project then why in the name of all that is sensible is one of these five being used as a lock keeper on Newley Lock and Forge Lock, and writes:

Even though there are usually two full time lock keepers installed on these two flights we, the boaters, seem to be put in the hands of an unqualified litter picker!

[The photograph above shows the official lock keeper with a boater at Forge  flight of locks and the photograph below Newlay flight of locks.]

Explain yourselves British Waterways or Bradford Motor Education Project as to why this has been allowed to happen. Who has overstepped the funding criteria, and who is putting boaters' boats and lives at risk by putting a litter picker on  two three-rise flights whether supervised or not. Lock keepers are paid to do a job not train others.

Which training agency has passed a litter picker to operate locks?

As we travelled through these locks, the litter picker told us how he got the job and while I don't blame him I unreservedly blame who ever put him there.

The question arises how many British Waterways full time staff are going to be replaced, cheaply, until it is stopped?  Also what maintenance skills are being gained by operating locks except operating locks?

What use, in the wider work place, are lock keeping skills to anyone except on the waterways, and we all know there are no jobs available in that quarter so is it a case of sneak them in through the back door as cheap labour?

Jane Thomson of British Waterways says that it will assist with the maintenance of the waterways then what benefit will it be to maintenance when they are lock keeping?