Anderton Lift conked again

THE Anderton Boat Lift has been plagued with stoppages ever since it was first re-opened in 2002, and is closed again.

This time it is a mechanical failure of the pumps that is the problem, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Make other arrangements

This is being investigated but boaters booked in for today have to make other arrangements.

The very first time it was used after its restoration, carrying the Press with the intention of taking them up the lift, a short cruise out then back again, but alas the top gates failed to open, so the people on board, we from narrowboatworld included were all taken back down again. The picture was taken at the opening with the band playing.

Safety devices

One of the engineers told us that the problem, and he admitted there had been many of them, was caused by all the safety devices that the Health & Safety people had insisted had to be included, that just did not fit well with the Victorian engineering that suffered no such devices when it was working.

Hence the failures.