Already been done in the past

VICTOR suggests that maintenance of the canals be passed to a more capable organisation, writes James Henry

One that is 'completely apart from Canal & River Trust and its so obvious incapability' as Victor puts it. But it had already been done in the past, its name—British Waterways.

Met in 1999

Looking through the log it was in 1999 that the editor and I met on the Coventry Canal, both of us held up on the Atherstone Flight by a broken cill, and both remarking on the speed that the then British Waterways replaced the cill, arriving in an afternoon and having all been done and the pound refilled late the following afternoon. Done in about 10 hours work, and the boats freed. What would it take today under Canal & River Trust? (The photograph shows a BW worker at Atherstone.)

I well remember we both agreeing that it was the first time we had met a stoppage and both having cruised for quite a few years, with such things as stoppages virtually unknown. What a difference now! Many of you must remember last year with 12 stoppages in one week.

A good enough reason

If that isn't a good enough reason for getting someone else to take over maintenance, I don't know what is.