Falling apart

WITH the holiday season started comes news of closure after closure of the waterways as its structures fall apart through lack of maintenance.

Lock gates particularly can no longer stand much impact, as once again a boat caused damage last week to a lock gate on the Wigan Flight on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, that caused severe restrictions, but by now it should have been repaired, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Ashton again

Once again the Ashton Canal was closed on Friday owing to a paddle failure on the head gates at lock 15, with repairs now underway.

Then it was the busy Trent & Mersey Canal that was closed at Dallow Lock in Burton on Saturday with the failure of the plate which holds the gate collar and subsequently the lock gate in place on one of the bottom end so the the lock had to be closed to navigation. Picture by Darren Tong

Leeds & Liverpool again

Making closures now virtually a daily occurrence, today (Monday) we are told the Top Lock on the Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is out of action, and the canal closed. Again it is the failure of paddle gear that is causing 'sufficient leakage', so the navigation is closed.  The necessary part has to be made and fitted before the waterway can reopen.

Surely these failures could have been prevented by proper maintenance, as the deteriorating condition of structures is very obvious to all who use the waterways, and leaving just one paddle working on lock gates is inviting closures.