Coming home to roost

THE SELLING OFF of the reservoirs in the early stages of Canal & River Trust is certainly coming home to roost.

During the period that we were away Keith Gudgin reported 11 extra stoppages caused by the lack of water as its supply to the canals had been drastically reduced due to the selling-off of reservoirs that formerly fed them.

The worst

The worst was the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, where there was now little continuous cruising as all its flights had been closed.

These are Wigan Lock Flight (Locks 85 to 65), Blackburn Lock Flight (Locks 57 to 52), Johnson's Hillock Lock Flight (Locks 64 to 58), Barrowford Lock Flight (Locks 51 to 45), Greenberfield Lock Flight (Locks 44 to 42), Bank Newton Locks (Locks 41 to 36) and Gargrave (Locks 35 to 30). The picture shows a boat stuck on the Leeds & Liverpool.

One canal that is usually sound is the Trent & Mersey, but now on the 19th May it was closed between locks 41 and 71 at the junction where it joins the Macclesfield Canal at Kidsgrove due to lack of water.

Others closed

Amongst others that were closed during the period were the Rochdale Canal now at two places, Huddersfield Broad Canal, Caldon Canal, Ripon Canal, Oxford Canal and the Erewash stoppage extended.

It is indeed a sorry state of affairs and extremely difficult for those that hire narrowboats as well as boaters themselves who are stuck going nowhere.

We were lucky as we managed to reach Hillmorton on the Oxford Canal and back with no shortage of water.