Don't blame BW

Published: Monday, 19 April 2010
PEOPLE, businesses and even a councillor are blaming British Waterways for the litter along the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal through Nelson.

One towpath walker, Adrian Hudson, wrote in the Lancashire Telegraph:

"If you walk along the canal from the Barrowford Locks end, it all seems very nice and lovely with barges and nice water and lots of people walking along it. But nearer to Nelson, there's litter everywhere, on the paths and in the bushes and water.

"There are plastic bottles and bags, sweet wrappers and crisp packets, shopping trolleys and even fire hydrants."

Worse this year

The problem is worse this year owing to the waterways freezing over, and people throwing objects onto the ice to attempt to break it.

The newspaper was one of those that published last month BW's  'East Lancashire's canals were enjoying a resurgence, with more people using them'....  And so is more concerned about the state of the waterways.

Support plans

Councillor George Adam stated that he  would certainly support any plans to clean it up, which is a real mess.

But surely it is the people of Nelson themselves that are causing the mess, and the council itself should be doing something about it, not blaming British Waterways.