BW gets the Olympic message

AT LONG last British Waterways has realised that it cannot overrule the decisions of the police and moor boats just where it wants during the Olympics.

It was earlier this year that the police laid down the rules about moorings during the run-up and the actual Olympics, setting out definite restrictions.

Law unto itself

British Waterways obviously thought, as a law unto itself, it could negotiate, telling it 'was in negotiations' and offered moorings where it would definitely not be allowed, as in fact we reported.

British Waterways yesterday faced the fact that the Met will not take that sort of risk, and British Waterways publicly admitted that moorings will be severely restricted.

Though British Waterways tells us 'it has been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and other security partners', the restrictions are still exactly as we published, with no concession whatsoever.

The restrictions

The restrictions, from the 3rd July until the 10th September 2011 are as we previously reported:

Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Limehouse Basin; Hertford Union Canal; Limehouse Cut; River Lee Navigation from Bow Locks to above Hackney Marshes (Lea Bridge Road). Hertford Union Bottom Lock and Commercial Road Lock on the Regent's Canal will also be closed.

Also from the same period moorings will  be temporarily suspended along a section of the Lee Navigation between the A12 and the A11 road bridge in Bromley-by-Bow, and a  section of the eastern end of the Hertford Union Canal, in Hackney Wick.