Victor discovers Anderton Lift has been operating at half cock!

BUT all being kept very quiet though it's being going on for two weeks.

No notifications or mentions whatsoever that only one caisson of the lift is operating, even on its booking site.

And only three slots a day for private boats for, as expected, the trip boats always get priority over private boats.

I wonder it this has all been kept in the dark and deliberately kept hidden to stop CaRT being embarrassed yet again after that long and expensive—£450,000—winter long emergency repair programme that lasted just four days when opened, then conked?

Latest

Have been told by a boater: "I’ve just raised a complaint asking why there is no notification or mention on the booking site that only 1/2 the lift is working. The response was that CaRT don’t feel they need to notify anyone about this so they are not going to publish anything..."

Well they know now!

Updates come, but...

Updates are published, as most likely will be the one concerning the Anderton when it finally gets fully back in action, but there was no notice telling it was operating at half cock.

Our Keith tells me this is happening more often these days—you get a notice telling that such and such a waterway is now back in use, yet there was no actual stoppage notice issued.

Which of course means there was no stoppage counted—so our total of 44 stoppage for July could be way out, it being many more...

Not so many boats

In explaining the lack of call-outs for the River Canal Rescue service. Boss Lady, Stephanie Horton, (pictured centre at Crick Show) 'attributes the low numbers to the economic downturn and its impact on finances...'.

I can but agree, for not only our own impression of the lack of boats on the waterways, but those of many of our contributors, telling of seeing fewer boats as compared to the past.

Mind you, with the massive 44 stoppages during July—and many for weeks on end—that could also explain boaters not taking to the waterways.

No new boats sold

Mentioning Crick Boat Show brings to mind being told by someone attempting to sell an upmarket series of narrowboats, that not only was not one sold, but they discovered no one else in the new boat section at the show had had any luck either.

I tend to take such claims with the preferable pinch of salt, but now having another backing claim, perhaps after all there were no new boats sold at the show.

Though whilst there I did discover secondhand ones were selling.

Do they know what they are doing or is it a bodge?

Why is it that so many swing and lift bridges are closed for repair, reopened then closed again it going on, as reported, for weeks, that begs the question—do the contractors attending the many problems actually know what they are doing or is it a bodge?

Take the Wood End Lift Bridge on the Peak Forest, that fails, is 'repaired'. then fails again. This occurring on the 6th, then quickly again on the 11th of this month and the 18th and 20th of July.  At one time it was closed for weeks, but was still followed by another stoppage.

Then the Cowling Swing Bridge on the Leeds & Liverpool that failed and was 'repaired' on the 2nd. 7th and 13th of last month.

Still on the Leeds & Liverpool, Crabtree Swing Bridge failed and then was repaired on the 4th and 16th of July.

And I see the Wrenbury Lift Bridge is having a fail every year.

And so it goes on, and I will not mention the many swing bridge failures of the famous—or should that be infamous—two. The Winkwell on the Grand Union and the Coxhead on the Leeds & Liverpool that vie with each other for failing the most! I naming them 'The Wink on the Blink' and the 'Cox on the Rocks'!

One thing is for sure—there's definitely something very wrong when so many swing and lift bridges get 'repaired', then quickly fail again. So I ask again—is it a bodge or don't the people know what they are doing?

Waiting in vain

Come-on Rusty, there's no visitors on this towpath—you are waiting in vain for one of those estimated 1,212 visitors every mile that may have a dog for you to play with.

Looking at the state of the towpath rather shows it would be lucky to get 1,212 visitors a year!

It's all what you would call a load of crap—and the natural sort we do clean up after Rusty!

Victor Swift—telling tales for 23 years