Stoppage hits boat full of holiday makers

THE over-running stoppage of Gloucester Lock has hit a boat full of holiday makers.

The revised opening date was on the 28th April, then it was yesterday at 8am, so a boat full of holiday makers arrived at the lock connecting the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal with the Severn, to discover it would not be open after all, Alan Tilbury reports.

Still not repaired

Holiday makers from as far away as Melbourne, Australia, arrived in the Edward Elgar at the lock to discover that they would not be cruising the Severn after all, as the lock was still not repaired.

The 11 berths boat was full to capacity with the holiday makers looking forward to their cruise out of Gloucester Docks and up the Severn, but it was not to be. (Photograph of stranded passengers by kind permission of GloucesterLive.)

Closed since January

It was way back in January when the lock was closed due to a broken cill, yet four months later, and it has still not been repaired, that seems to be happening all too often with Canal & River Trust under its contracting arrangements, with opening dates not being met and put back time after time.

The owners of the boat were told that though the lock was due to open this morning, silt was discovered at the bottom of the gate, yet this has been known about for some considerable time.