STD emergency number

THERE have been many comments and suggestions from boaters concerning Canal & River Trust's emergency telephone number, especially after its failure, and now John Howard adds to them:

Dear Canal & River Trust

Can I submit a suggestion that the Out of Hours number (0800 47 999 47) to which we are directed to call out of office hours, be supplemented with a standard STD number.

Mobile phones

Most of the 'Emergency' situations listed on your website are more likely to be reported (in my opinion) by a boater, cyclist or passer-by using their mobile phones.

The sheer fact that the call may be considered to be related to an 'Emergency' situation, lends itself to the person reporting the incident to make that call with as little delay as possible, and would most likely therefore, use their mobile phone (whose provider will charge the incident reporter for dialling an 0800 number) rather than wait until they get home to dial the freephone 0800 number at no charge from their land line.

Never return the call

In my experience of the recent calls I have made (at my expense) via my mobile to report 'Emergencies'—the person answering the phone has always taken my mobile number and advised that someone would call me back, but without exception no-one has ever called me back.

I have recently reported blocked weirs (resulting in over-flowing towpaths), and yet another British Waterways workboat poorly secured (usually opposite a winding point) that had drifted across, completely blocking the navigation.

Met with indifference

With most mobile phone contracts charging for these 0800 numbers, when the incident reporter is seemingly met with such indifference from CaRT, one is likely to think 'why bother?' and pass on by. As was my experience recently when several boaters passed us warning that a British Waterways workboat was across the canal again, but they couldn't be bothered to ring CaRT, as 'CRT wouldn't do anything anyway.' My wife and I 'captured' the straying boat and re-secured it to the bank.

Apart from the lack of courtesy on CaRT's part in not returning a call, if only a text to say 'Thank you, it has been dealt with.' Perhaps if the caller wasn't being charged for the privilege of being ignored, they may be more likely to continue to keep logging these incidents—Whilst CaRT deals with its communication issues with it's public—which I appreciate may take some time to change the old British Waterways culture.

So please—give us a number to call which is included in the majority of the companies' call plans. We are after all your eyes and ears on 'the cut' these days.

Yours in anticipation

John Howard, Boater