No stopping at stoppages

OVER this winter's stoppage season Canal & River Trust has brought in a policy of 'no stopping at stoppages'.

The huge increase in boats without a permanent mooring has brought about a trend for such boats to moor at what they know will be a stoppage, using the excuse that they are thus prevented from moving any further by the stoppage.

Excuse for not moving

But the Trust has become wise to the practice of such boaters that are obviously checking the various winter stoppages and then purposely choosing such locations to moor for weeks on end, with the stoppage their excuse for not moving.

This has become a problem around the Midlands with boaters clogging up winding holes and service locations using the stoppage as the excuse.

Published well in advance

But the Trust is now telling boaters, with such as those at Stone using the closure of Meaford Locks as an excuse, that there is no excuse for getting trapped behind a stoppage as these are published well in advance, and boaters should plan their routes to avoid them.

Overstaying notices are now being issued to such boaters that deliberately stop behind stoppages for long periods using the stoppage as an excuse for not moving, with the possibility of action from the Trust, with those using the Meaford Locks as an excuse for instance, being contacted.

Genuine continuous cruisers are getting snarled up in the congestion caused by such boaters, and agree that action should be taken against those boaters to prevent them 'stopping at stoppages' and causing such problems.