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Possible breach near Wharton's Lock, Shropshire Union


rgreg

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10 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

The use of contractors v direct labour is really a minor issue - down to the effectiveness of the spend but what we are really looking at here is the total available to spend.

 

The use of direct labour is potentially attractive on the basis that you do not have to pay profit to the contractor but this can be illusory since there are inefficiency costs of DL - you have to pay for it even on days when there is nothing much to do. But in the terms you use, contractors are potentially a more expansible resource than DL. Recruiting staff is usually quite a lengthy process whilst contractors are, metaphorically anyway, waiting at the end of a telephone call. Where there is a big difference is when you want to downsize a particular area - redundancy etc can get very expensive and the longer you have employed someone (advocated by those who want 'experienced' staff) the more it costs.

 

What CaRT seem to be doing is working out the most effective balance between the two - they do still have a non trivial DL force. It can also be the case that the management overhead can be more easily managed, but it does take different skills. 

 

One advantage of having the budget headroom to do more planned and preventative maintenance is that it is more suited to contracting out, leaving the DL to deal with reactive responses. But too naive a use of contractors can lead to difficulties when the unplanned repair middle scale - too small for ad hoc work but too urgent for a contract call. This may be why we heard recently of the new plan to have a number of contractors sort of 'on call' - not overnight but quicker from start of a stoppage to boots on the ground. Of course, today we have to factor in the amount of time needed in planning even quite small projects. |Even getting access over private land can be time consuming.

Totaly agree with the above. The problem is do crt management overseeing the contractors are doing the job correctly and to a high standard. I think not in most cases. 

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Just now, Ray T said:

"Of course, today we have to factor in the amount of time needed in planning even quite small projects. Even getting access over private land can be time consuming."

 

When I worked in the external side of BT there was often the case to use temporary overhead or underground diversionary routes on private land due to roadworks schemes or other development.

 

If there were crops in a farmers field - usually forget that option until after harvest unless the financial incentive appealed!

 

This could take weeks to settle, temporary wayleaves, how much the land owner might expect to receive for allowing the use of his land. Compensation awareness if any damage caused, et al.

 

 

 

Edited by Ray T
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1 hour ago, John Wareing said:

There are a little over 4.5 litres in an imperial gallon so 80p a gallon is about 17.6p a litre.

I was using gov inflation figures for today's prices (there is a calculator on the internet!)

Edited by Mike Todd
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1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Anyhow, heres another one that Frangar will enjoy, Fradley junction ....

IMG-b3786996b0a5bf0dc052925a04b50267-V.jpg

That's a new snow clearing machine to keep the banks accessible so the composting toilet brigade don't make yellow snow.

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Just had a message to say that the canal is closed between bridge 80 and Ellesmere Port.  This is due to difficulty maintaining water levels and they are installing pumps to bring water up from the river Gowy but will take a couple of days to stabilise.

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1 hour ago, dor said:

Just had a message to say that the canal is closed between bridge 80 and Ellesmere Port.  This is due to difficulty maintaining water levels and they are installing pumps to bring water up from the river Gowy but will take a couple of days to stabilise.

I remember rolling off the bed at about 4am when all the water fell out of the canal when a lock failed at Ellesmere Port. I used to moor between there and Chester.

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I have just had a reply from a fellow Moorer at my mooring west of Nantwich and he tells me that everything is ok at the moment.  I hope it is maintained tomorrow.  It seems that they are having trouble stemming the leak at the Wharton breach.

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

The Middlewich branch is going down fast, there is no water going over the weirs.

There’s a few locks between Barbridge and Wharton.  I wonder where all the water is going.

 

Whilst a sufficient water feed is being supplied at the emergency culvert works at Bridge 80, water is being lost at the breach site due to an issue with the dam in place. We are working with teams across the Shropshire Canal to steady the flow, however ultimately, pumps are needed to extract water from the River Gowy to be able to supply a sufficient feed downstream. Due to high demand in the North West, this will take 2-3 days to install.

 

Edited by dor
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From NBW

 

 

Long closure likely for Trent & Mersey Canal landslip

 PUBLISHED: WEDNESDAY, 27 JANUARY 2021

THE landslip on the Trent & Mersey Canal looks like causing a long closure.

It was near bridge 200 at Soot Hill at Anderton, where the recent storm loosened the soil and undergrowth that then fell into and closed the waterway, Keith Gudgin reports.

BartonNorthwichJan2021Blocked

An inspection discovered the canal had been blocked by fallen soil and vegetation with additional risk to the towpath and particularly to the gas main above.

The contractors have managed to create a narrow channel to acts as a feeder through the site but surveys will have to be undertaken to assess the current risk which will guide the efforts to remove the remaining material without causing further damage. (Photograph courtesy of Phil Dailey.)

Third party owned

A further problem is that the offside land from where the landslip occurred is third party owned meaning it will have to be involved in any solution.

In the meantime both the navigation and the towpath remain closed.

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From Facebook:  (CRT have) abandoned that plan now (a coffer dam) and are building roadways across farmers fields to bring heavy plant in and build a substantial clay dam right across the navigation then pump water around it to keep chester in water.

They say 16 boats are stuck in the pound - don't know if that inclodes Chas' hire fleet.

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