This is absolutely ridiculous—tells Victor

THE LOCO LIFT BRIDGE, on the Huddersfield Broad Canal, after just two days of being repaired—has broken again!

And that after already taking three months to repair!

With our Keith, when reporting it, adding: Well that didn't last long did it?

So true, and must surely show that these people in charge of the repairs just haven't a clue what they are doing.

All we had from Canal & River Trust is that the bridge has developed a fault, requiring it to be closed and engineers will assess the issue as soon as possible.

The issue? The 'engineers' are the issue methinks.

Another long job

I reckon that there is another long job in the offing, where a simple hydraulic leak is baffling the 'engineers' so closing the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation since February.

This is at Eastwood on the Sir Frank Price Lock with everything at a standstill.

And nothing to tell what is actually happening at the site.

We can only hope it will not be like the breach on the Hollowforth Aqueduct on the Lancaster Canal (pictured) that occurred way back in July of last year.

It was reported by CaRT that the Lancaster Canal was short of water due to a 'structural failure' at the Hollowforth Aqueduct 38, but it was later admitted it was a breach! 

But whatever, it still has not been repaired!  And of course no navigation.

It's simple—pay up

I notice the Bargees are complaining about new rules of up to £1,000 fines now being in force in an attempt to tackle illegal boat mooring on parts of the Thames.

Arguing the the 'draconian proposal will punish people for the simple act of living in their homes'.

But there is actually nothing whatsoever to stop them living in their homes.

All they have to do is to abide by the rules—the EA rules, and not yours!

But alas, they want regular permanent moorings without paying. In which case they have to keep on the move, that they certainly do not want, and do not do.

So they must face the consequences—or get back to CaRT waters where they can most likely get away with it.

The problem

There is a big problem with the Anderton Boat Lift that I was told of at that grand re-opening in 2002.

It is the problems they had of matching modern safety devices with 150 year old structures.

And was the reason that, when the lift reached the Trent & Mersey level on its opening day packed with the Press and dignitaries, it was believed the weight was just was too much for the lift to reach the safety device, and so the gates would not open.

The counter balance lift going down was empty so that did not help.

There was much chasing about, but the lift won, and so went down without its cruise on the Trent & Mersey. Red faces ruled!

Our picture was of the rebuild of the Anderton Boat Lift in 2001.

Doubtful

When the Olympics came to the east of London the new Three Mills Lock (pictured) was built at a cost of over £21 millions to connect the Bromley-by-Bow links to the the Thames to serve the site of the games with its structures and take so many hundreds of lorries off the roads with 350 tonne barges to supply the site cutting thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and ease congestion.

But the reality is somewhat different as our Allan Richards pointed out in November 2010, with it taking one full load for the Press and big wigs then only a trickle until it was closed down for years to save costs! And regarded as a white elephant—as it is.

Now we have the claim that the new Manchaster United grandstand is to be transported via the Manchester Ship Canal, that alas does not pass the site, but let us hope there is no further mad and expensive scheme to get the canal there!

In real life, loading onto lorries, unloading onto a barge then unloading at the end of the canal and then loading onto lorries again, and then to the site is not feasible as the Olympics proved.  Forget it.

Victor Swift—telling tales for 25 years