'Please make sure you close the lock gates...

Sawley Flood Lock this morning, Tuesday, is again a flood lock no longer.

The Trent has again overcome its flood lock at Sawley with the marina once again in flood and all the jetties under water.

Rising

We were met with our jetty covered by well over a foot of water, and it rising, so gave up on any attempt to wade to our boat it being very near the end of the jetty.

We were officially informed that the flood would peak tonight at 11pm but would be short of the flood of 2000 that covered the jetties with just under three feet of water, with everyone vacated from their boats. 

There has however been no notice for the residents to leave this morning.

Difficult to access

At the moment the boats on the residents section of the marina are difficult to access, their jetties being low and the boats some distance from the edge as can be seen, and though we were told some have left their boats, others were still in residence.

There was a notice displayed to the effect that should the jetties be under water all must leave, but this does not now, sensibly, seem to be enforced.

Since the flood of 2000 we have experienced the jetties being under water numerous times before the bank was constructed above the flood lock, that is now holding back a great deal of water.

Casualties

However, up to this morning there have been three boat casualties.  A discarded narrowboat on Pier B having sank and two on Pier H flooded.

The latter two, one pictured, flooded as their owners failed to include a 'spring' holding the boats from going back and so drifted getting their rudders caught under the jetty.

Caught rudders

Though staff at the marina were quick to check all the boats on all the jetties, the two had gone well back under, and the rising flood water securely caught the rudders  and try as they might the staff were unable to release them, they being firmly jammed, the sterns sinking and the boats taking water.

The following photograph shows the 'connected' Trent and Sawley Cut, with the latter sensibly devoid of boats.