Why not done during winter maintenance?

THREE waterways will be closed at the start of the boating season for 'water loss', as work that should had been completed in the normal winter maintenance is to be done starting tomorrow, Wednesday.

The Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal will be closed this Wednesday and Thursday at locks 10 and 11 with the reason given for the closure 'to reduce water loss', Keith Gudgin tells us.

Northampton Arm

Then it is the turn of the Northampton Arm off the Grand Union Canal, with the whole Arm closed from locks 1 to 14, on Wednesday 10th May, the reason once again is 'to reduce water loss'.

The third closure (so far) will again be the Grand Union Canal, but this time its Main Line at Grove and Church locks below Linslade, for maintenance on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th May, and you have guessed—'to reduce water loss'.

Will it get worse?

This type of maintenance at the very start of the boating season is ridiculous, causing problems not only to boaters and their cruising plans, but to the boat hire companies making sure that their customers are not trapped by a closure and unable to return their boat in time.  But with the promise of future 'summer stoppages' will it get worse?