CaRT blames vandals for lock failure

THE failure of the lock wall of Lock 20 on the Wolverhampton Flight was caused by vandals according to Canal & River Trust!

It had been reported that vandals had drained the flight and flooded houses a few days before the lock wall broke away, and CaRT are using this as what is seen as an excuse for its lack of maintenance.

Vandalism

The first stoppage notice on the 20th June included: A number of pounds on the Wolverhampton lock flight have been drained as a result of vandalism.

A further stoppage notice included: Our investigations have revealed the lock wall has moved significantly, probably through water ingress from the recent vandalism.

Stuck the day before

Yet as boater John Kelly told in narrowboatworld today, the narrowboat Saltaire became stuck fast in the lock the day before the reported vandalism.  But more damming evidence can be seen in Orph Mable's photograph of the lock wall, pictured above, clearly showing that mortar had been inserted in the crack—the obvious start of the break-away of the lock wall.

As for water over topping, the flight is well served by bye-washes, so that just cannot happen, so a wall movement can hardly be the result of too much surface water.

Drained

It is accepted that some pounds were drained by vandals or by boating idiots, but this has been going on for years, and certainly is not a new phenomenon.  In any case, the obvious purpose of locks is for them to be constantly filled and emptied of water—so vandals doing either can in no way cause a lock wall to move, as CaRT is wanting us to believe.

Also, it is perhaps worth noting that Lock 20 is the 'youngest' of the locks in the flight, built later to help control the water levels and variations in pound depths.

CaRT must take responsibility, as it obviously will have to do, again and again in the future, should it continue with its present level of preventative maintenance. Attempting to blame vandals is simply ridiculous.