What a bloody mess!

LET us tell you of the 'Navigation: Closed' examples during July.

Here they are as they occurred, with those caused by lack of water in red—45 in all!

 1 Staff & Worcs—Hyde Lock paddle failure.

 2 Grand Union—Camp Hill Locks paddle failure.

 3 Kennet & Avon—Caen Hill Flight water levels too low.

 4 North Stratford—Shirley Draw Bridge repairs.

 5 Rochdale—paddle stuck in open position.

 6 Trent & Mersey—Barton Lock top gate out of its cup.

 7 Grand Union—Hanwell Flight repairs. A winter cancellation.

 8 Leeds & Liverpool—emergency repairs to cill of Lock 10.

 9 Leeds & Liverpool—Riley's Swing Bridge needing 'improvements'.

10 Trent—power pack failure at Hazleford Lock.

11 Bridgewater & Taunton—Oakwood Swing Bridge deterioration.

12 Chesterfield—Lime House Lock cancelled winter works.

13 Leeds & Liverpool—Lack of water between locks 85 to 89 on Wigan Flight

14 Gloucester & Sharpness—Fretherne Bridge electrical failure.

15 Aire & Calder—Woodlesford Lock with 'unidentified failure'.

16 Trent—power pack failure again at Hazleford Lock.

17 Aire & Calder—electrical issue at Knostropt Lock.

18 Erewash—'gates left open' causing low water.

19 Rochdale—no water on Summit Flight.

20 Leeds & Liverpool—no water this time between locks 65 and 86.

21 Leeds & Liverpool—little water on Leigh Branch.

22 Kennet & Avon—Higg's Lock out of order.

23 Oxford—No water in pound 29 to 30.

24 Oxford—Dashwood Lock 'failure'.

25 Pocklington—locks 7 to 9 closed through lack of water.

26 Birmingham & Fazeley—paddle failure on Lock 4.

27 Grand Union—needed work on two Lock 57 paddles.

28 Kennet & Avon—Caen Hill pump failure.

29 Ouse—Selby bridge not operational.

30 Staffs & Worcs—footbridge needs repair closing navigation.

31 Grand Union—Knowle Lock 4 both bottom gate paddles broke.

32 Leeds & Liverpool—Bingley Three Rise no water.

33 Lee—Tottenham Lock low water.

34 Trent & Mersey—Heartbreak Hill closed lack of water

35 Erewash—closed between locks 68 and 69 low water.

36 Chesterfield—little water up to the tunnel.

37 Huddersfield Broad—closed through lack of water.

38 Anderton Lift—out of action with a defect.

39 Oxford—Grants Lock out of action.

40 Caldon—Ivyhouse Lift Bridge defective.

41 Bridgwater & Taunton—Outwood Swing Bridge out of action.

42 Welford Arm—Lock 1 paddle failures.

43 Leeds & Liverpool—Wigan to Gargrave closed lack of water.

44 Rochdale—completely closed low water.

45 Aire & Calder—broken ram on lock gate.

So 30 waterways were closed through various failures—more than one a day—and 14 through lack of water management.  As the title relates—What a bloody mess!

Our grateful thanks for the effort of Keith Gudgin that enabled us to compile this list.