THE intersection between the Rochdale and Ashton canals in Manchester was closed on Monday as the paddles had been left open on the Rochdale draining the pound.
Canal & River Trust have automatically blamed boaters, stating that It's apparent overnight that there have been paddles left open, though it is much more likely that it was the work of vandals.
No longer maintained
The problem of course is that anti-vandal locks are no longer maintained, with our Keith Gudgin, just having cruised the Erewash Canal telling us:
"Should keep anti-vandal locks maintained. If they maintained the canals and especially the anti-vandal locks this would not happen so often.
"How many locks do you see with the anti-vandal locks broken/not working or even missing. Some locks only have them on the ground paddles but not on the gate paddles or vice versa.
"I've just done the Erewash and I would say that 50% of the anti-vandal locks are either not working or ineffective. This is not unusual on the system either."
[Cruising the Erewash quite often, we can confirm the poor state of the anti-vandal locks on this waterway, with those on Trent Lock controlling the long bottom pound—and opposite a pub—now out of action.]