THE STOPPAGES BY shortage of rain are still in force with all the recent rainfall having no effect.
These are on the Grand Union Canal, Oxford Canal and Coventry Canal, Keith Gudgin reports.
Closures
The closures on the Coventry are from Drapers Fields Bridge 1 to Bridge 77.
On the Grand Union Canal the closure is from Bridge 17 Napton Junction to Lock 20. A further one on the Grand Union it is told is from Radford Bottom Lock 23 again to Napton Junction!
On the Oxford the stoppage starts at Junction Bridge and ends at Marston Doles Top Lock.The reason given by the trust is 'despite the recent rainfall, the water levels in the reservoirs that supply the Grand Union Canal, Coventry Canal, and Oxford Canal have not improved enough to allow us to relax the current navigation restrictions and closures'.
Open end of October
But to support boaters and boating businesses, the trust is now working towards offering a limited window of passage during the final two weeks of October from Monday 20th October.
What is very strange is, though normal stoppages are given as lock to lock, none of these are, but such as bridge to lock...