CaRT removes more information
DESPITE the assurances given by Canal & River Trust (CaRT) Chief Executive, Richard Parry, that the Trust will make information available where it can, narrowboatworld produced more evidence that this is not the case last week (CaRT removes information).
But what about the allied problem of removing information that is already published?
Valerie Gorman
Valerie Gorman posted the following on the CaRT Facebook page on 11th January, 2015:
‘I see the questions and answers have now disappeared from this site. I'm still waiting to have the tree overhanging my boat seen to. Last night's storm was a nightmare to live through. I expected the willow to crash down any minute. I've been waiting better than five years now to have a tree assessed as dangerous attended to. Guess Mr Parry's word is no better than any one else's'.
Valerie's post referred to a Facebook Q&A session in September 2014 where boaters and members of the public were invited to ask Richard Parry questions. On checking, it was found that every one of the 100 or more questions and answers have been deleted whilst posts before and after remained in place.
Ribble Link closed
Why CaRT have decided to delete the whole Q&A session is known only to them. However, it may have to do with Richard Parry providing assurance that the Ribble Link was open when, in fact, it was closed. Nobody likes to look stupid or foolish but the question from Eric Weiss (Lancaster Canal running dry) made Richard Parry look silly in maintaining that the Link was open but passages cancelled.
It did not help, of course, that two very well known journalists, Peter Underwood and Steve Haywood suffered from the closure. A closure that was simply due to negligence.
How does it differ?
Peter Underwood was very quick to ask ‘How does cancelling all passages last week-end differ from closing the Ribble Link?'.
It was not until two days later that Richard Parry sheepishly admitted ‘Having checked the facts, it's clear that there has been a stoppage on the Ribble Link' and apologised to anyone misled as ‘the info I gave on this wasn't quite right'.
‘Wrong' would be a better description than ‘not quite right'!
Don't call us British Waterways
On the other hand, it could have been something else.
Perhaps it was his response to another question ‘It'd be great if everyone referred to us by the name that we at the Trust prefer to use, but I know we can't be too precocious. As long as people don't call us British Waterways!'.
Sadly he was not aware that his staff had responded to a request to provide a description of the dress of a volunteer mooring ranger by providing a picture of someone wearing British Waterways polo neck! (You could not make it up!)
The dangerous tree
But what of Valerie Gorman, who from her post a couple of weeks ago, is living in fear of a large tree crushing her boat. What did she say to Richard Parry back in September? What was his reply?
Despite her post and more than 100 others from Facebook being deleted, narrowboatworld has been provided with a copy of her exchange with the chief executive:
‘Valerie Gorman: Been waiting since 2010 for maintenance to come pollard the crack willow overhanging my boat at Langford Lane on the Oxford. Surveyed as dangerous. Do I have to wait until it splits and crushes my boat?
Richard Parry: I'm very sorry to hear that. We have to prioritise urgent works, but if it was surveyed as dangerous four years ago it sounds like it should have been addressed. We will be spending significant money on vegetation this Autumn and I will raise this with the local team.
Valerie Gorman: Thank you Richard. Would really appreciate it. I sit in my boat every time the wind blows hard, listening for the crack and jumping every time a branch hits the roof.
Having provided a couple of reasons why CaRT may have chosen to delete the 100 plus Q&A's, perhaps that was the third.
After all, it is not unknown for a boater to be killed by crack willow!
Killed by falling willow
In 2010, the same year that Valerie Gorman says her willow was surveyed as dangerous, Wendy Brennan, a 61 year grandmother, was killed on a boating holiday with her son and husband. (Boater hit by tree dies) She was forced under water when a willow tree crashed down onto their narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Hammond, Bucks. Her husband and son were also thrown into the water but managed to drag themselves to safety.
As a result of the death the coroner issued a ‘rule 43' report in order to prevent future deaths from dangerous trees. To its eternal shame, British Waterways attempted to have this report withdrawn. However, the coroner refused to do so.
To date, the coroner's report, which recommended that a multi agency database for reporting of dangerous trees be set up, has not been acted on by either BW or CaRT.
The real reason?
Perhaps this is something slightly more serious than wearing the wrong uniform or having passage delayed. Perhaps it is the real reason for the deletion of over 100 Q&A's in Richard Parry's Facebook session.
Then again, perhaps saving face is more important!