fender.

Me thinks its time for an inquiry into the workings of BW (not just that enquiry or any other defra enquiry) but why BW's so crap at collecting licenses and lettng maintenance drop back and yet can splurge out on new high tech offices - seems Bw wants its bread buttered both sides!

Its a great idea at least everyone has fun and gets to know the workings of a canal - and just how difficult they really are to maintain (and how so having little investment doesnt really help to keep them in pritsine condition) and as most of us started on the canals way back in the 60's and 70's as volunteers restoring them and learnt so much about them, its something that should deffo be reintorduced.

The POINT is BW made a vow over 30 years ago to deal with this problem. Any problems that exist now is entirely because BW is lazy and incompetent, and it has let events run past it so that the onus now on the emphasis of housing rights. Whether BW likes it or not and whether it wants to be a social landlord or not., the fact is BW has now to respect and abide by a whole host of new laws that be designed to protect people and their homes. Yeah actually what Andy Bell's doing with his patrol boat on the Lee amount to nothing much when one considers the millions BW have failed to collect in over 30 years. People can now sue BW for removing their homes, and BW didnt even progress to re-educate or to reassess the situation before it got out of hand. It only began to do something when these rich moanies in shiny new please dont scratch my boats kick up a storm. And just thinking on - its possible the DEFRA cuts wouldnt be so severe now! There might even have been some more money to improve the canals. Lots of people point blame at unlicensed boats, and even CC's etc etc but do not see the complete picture ever. The amount unpaid in licenses in 30 years MUST total to something like a lengthy spell of probaly say 3 years where every single boat on the canal did not pay a single licence fee (if everyone were to decide not pay up!) and thats a lot of money

No probs I'll just wait till you've collapsed your wave function!

Of course people need to pay licences but when we get this sort of sh*t as the likes from Victor and etc (dont his Bermuda holiday pics make u want to throw up?) and rabble from all sorts of rich boaters saying why this boater dont pay and why that boater dont and not look into the deeper details of perhaps why people can't or wont pay, and what possible other alternatives might help the situation etc then we're stil onto a hiding for nothing. British Waterways was well publicised as its intentions to take the bull by the horns 30 years ago (yes THIRTY years ago) and stil it cant get its act properly together. People glowingly speak of the several thousands recovered from Section eights etc, but WHAT abotu the thousands, the millions, BW never bothered to recovered in the last 30 years??? If BW cant get its act together in even 30 years then what do one expect from it? legilsation has now caught up so far that homes are precious and the eveiction of anyone whatever home they have is now bound by law. BW's simple lack of action has brought all this upon itself. The only way now is to have some far reaching insight and completely new ways to absolve the situation and to try and encourage better take up or use social funds to help pay for those who CANT afford licences. Not to keep rabble rouseing because it gets nowhere!

Not all of us. Lots of people do not use it for leisure purposes - such as Hebridean islanders.

Perhaps you're right, but I'm thinking why was Progress built as 12' 6" maybe because that was the maximum possible. Looking at some history references yes seems Rowington cutting was major issue that prevented anything over 12' 6" heading north, so obvious more economic to have two n/bs than a widebeam... PS also find that bridges north of Hatton were not widened until after 1934, some as late as 1937 by which time railways had all the competition (remember the nearby Stratford canal to Kings Norton was then out of use)

I thought it was the Blue Lias br, Stockton that prevented the boat Progress from, ahem, making more progress towards Sampson Road depot at Brum?? Rather than towards braunston?

Yoda - if england win you'll defintely have a wide beam!

So right! And if its true that Ireland has retained their derogation, well we'll know the UK government is all about money grab opportunities - cash for peerages, and now extra cash to be grabbed, actually stolen, pinched, pilfered, begot by ill gotten means (under the excuse that the EU are doing the grabbing) and um... shall we call this new scandal the Bliar govt's 'cash for steerages...?'

I dont think any of you have actually said how it will decimate the canal system. There's been the DEFRA, this, mooring increases, a potential backlog of maintenance is about to build up, and today Illyd Harrington (former IWA chairman) has voiced his concerns at what is happening to the canals. This government build crap millenum domes, send our troops to Iraq (and 'murders' them in the process), allows council tax to increase exhorbitantly, and sends inspectors into homes to find excuses for increasing council tax further. Its an expesnive, expensive, expensive government with priorites that are at best anally retentive.

Red diesel will affect a lot of communities (not just liveaboards!) and there are huge communitiies that rely on red diesel for fuel as their boats are the only way of ensuring food and supplies in the Scottish Islands. See http://www.shetlandmarine.com/2006/06%20Le...esel_rights.htm As the article shows the govenrment hasnt been that forthcoming about its 'fight' to retain derogation. Time for boaters to really show up the governments lackisidal attitude on all these things because so many small but important businesses will be affected. It is time to protest not only about DEFRA but about the EU too. Another article just published ( http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story....3A10%3A43%3A093 ) details the issues facing the broads, and also suggests that it wil be June before changes actually occur. So we've got SIX months to kick up a fuss! "Private boat users have been both the victim of New Labour prejudices. They clearly thought that they were dealing with a few rich people on their gin palaces. The opposite is true. This change will serve to exclude many people on low incomes from enjoying boat use."

Anyone know who the directors of BWML are?

And its on BBC news online now: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6182654.stm

Cricklade?? I think you mean Lechlade. Mind you, the start of the Thames and Severn is at Inglesham just upriver from Lechlade.

power to the hydraulic drive! Morgan Giles introduced the hydraulic drive to narrowboats in the 1970's. One hire company Claymoore is unique in it has a number of hydraulic drive boats. Hydraulics arent going away there are still a number of these types built every year and the advantages is that they are quiet, plus hydraulics offer extras such as that on Stort Daybreak where the whole unit rudders, or mine where the prop can be lifted up to a different postion if the need is neccessary in very shallow water.

Thats Narrowboat World - quite newsworthy of course - but often inconsistent with its links and content, and not a single method of archiving dated news. Towpath Talk does its job better.

Lots of aye's there whoever discovered Cragdale did a good job, but in some ways I have to be rather negative about this (brickbats flying as usual?) because it was in part due to the annual boat check, and therefore as it stands, the discovery would have not been due to any special effort on BW's half. So the aye's have, in my view, been dispensed a bit too hastiliy. The officer was alert to the issue of Cragdale, but there are countless police officers who have done this in the line of duty and dont get any special commendation. The BW officer maybe gets a special thanks ok, but its small beer compared to other things.

I hope they meet Anna the headless lady at Saddington!

PS Foxton's the lock with the shock - 2x5 in a staircase - now for those smokin' warrants! Dashing way up the towpath aint gonna achieve much now! Market Harborough's police station is next! It wont be salad days for our narrowboat pirates!

Never seen so many people on a forum just look at the list of who's online! When Neildudman said it had been found at Foxton and PC Plod was at the scene, everything went so quiet..for about 15 minutes..was it or was it not?? And then YES!!! Brilliant. Power to the net hope it'll be the last stolen boat of this genre!!

give them a lock, shock and two smokin' warrants!

500 go to Scuttler's Lock The intrepied team of canalworlders investigate a boat disspearance around Castaway Island - is it or is it not moored at misty Scuttler's Lock. And who is Mr Lenoir? Why doesnt he like dogs, or waterways patrol officers? Are things not what they seem? Is the boat really there or have the thives put the 500 off the scent?

Not the Andy Bell of the Lee & Stort?? BW's own Patrol Officer? I wouldnt think so not being from Staffs.

Nicky, Hope this gets sorted as soon as possible and that your family will get the boat back. The EA is the Environment Agency they run the River Thames and a couple of other canals and river navigations. I somehow dont think the boat would be on the River Tove the moorings can be seen easily from the Grand Union at the bottom of Stoke Bruerne locks. One can go over the lock and a path goes round the back to the moorings site. There are several other opportunities for hiding a boat closer to the London area, especially where the Grand Union merges with several small rivers such as the Colne and the Gade. I saw a newly painted boat (in grey undercoat) passing through Bulls Bridge two days ago, I didnt think about it at the time but it looked like a 47 footer. Its possible for a boat to reach that far in the time given. Though it might not be the one of course as there are quite a few grey undercoated boats in the London area. This is another thing - if Cragdale has been painted in grey undercoat, no-one'll suss it out easily for the simple fact that so many are in grey undercoat anyway.