Now we know

I USUALLY get my praising messages not allowed, but hope this sees the light of day as I believe it is well deserved, writes James Henry.

I refer of course to the article by Allan Richards who gives us a very welcoming correct rundown of the many stoppages that Canal & River Trust inflict on us boaters.

Extremely thorough

Allan has obviously been extremely thorough with his graph showing the exact scale of the stoppages together with totals for each day, that makes terrible reading of the capability of the trust to keep the canals in good condition, and this at the start of the season when all should be in fine fettle.

It certainly proves the lie that it was brought in to rectify the problems of British Waterways, as I too was boating in the 'good old days' of British Waterways, and looking though the log of the many trips in those days not once did we have a stoppage.

Maintenance

And the start of the seasons in those days was when all the maintenance had been done. Maintenance?  What's that? Not any more.