Something must be done about those swing bridges

Published: Wednesday, 29 August 2018

THE frequency of the failures of the Leeds & Liverpool swing bridges is getting ridiculous, and something must be done.

Over the past months there have been notified failures of no less than seven swing bridges on the waterway, with such as the Niffany broken down and thus closed three times.

snaygill swingClosed more than announced

But we are told that not all the broken swing bridges are announced, with one boater pointing out that Snaygill Swing bridge (pictured) has been out of action more than the once it has had a stoppage notice.

Looking back through narrowboatworld, the stoppages caused by broken swing bridges on the Leeds & Liverpool are Crabtree (twice), Niffany (three times), New Lane, Snaygill, Methodist,  Micklethwaite and this week Bell's Lane.

Dangerous

The state of Micklethwaite Bridge was so dangerous that a local councillor demanded that it must be replaced.

It is obvious that these bridges on this waterway, breaking so often, are in a perilous state, and the money being spent on so many non-boating activities by Canal & River Trust should be spent where it should be—on the upkeep of its waterways, starting perhaps with the failing swing bridges on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.