A week to repair cill

THIS is not good, writes Amy Dickerson.

The first anyone knew that Marbury Lock is closed all week for the cill to be repaired was a Monday.

How come it takes a week. Is that a day to find the Llangollen Canal, another day to assess where the cill is in the lock. Wednesday a day for getting the supplies there. Thursday repair the cill. Friday pack everything away?

Nearly forgot: Following Monday send out notice that lock is open for navigation (Maybe).

The time it should take

The editor writes: It was whilst cruising the Coventry Canal under British Waterways that we arrived at the top of the Atherstone Flight to discover a cill had collapsed on a lock with workers arriving in the morning. Then by the end of the day the cill was replaced and the navigation open—it, as usual, taking only one day.

Here is a photogrpaph of one of the BW men pointing out to us at that time that the deepest part of the canal is not the centre, as is so officially stated, but nearer the towpath!