Bridgewater Canal

[Liam]

I received a text earlier on about a breach in Castlefields on the Bridgewater canal (Manchester).

 

I've been told it's a serious one. Stop planks have been put in at Sale but Mike Webb (MSCCo.) doesn't think it's a consideration.

 

My boat is moored on the Bridgewater... so I'm going to go and check on things with my camera. I'll be posting these as soon as I get back.

 

Hopefully more news later on this evening.

[Liam]

Okay, I have some pictures.. only a couple but you can see the extent of the damage and delay the breach will cause.

 

Pictures of the breach :: www.salecruisingclub.co.uk

 

Apparently, according to friend who's in the know, a sluice at Potato Wharf in Castlefield, Manchester is very badly damaged, and was draining the whole of the 40ish lock free canal.

 

There are numerous stop planks but the only working one, which just on the southern side of Sale Town bridge is the only one that's been put into use.. If you're not sure where Sale is in location, it's about the middle of the length of canal.

 

Because these stop plank haven't been used for god knows how long, they just aren't doing their job and they have had to be secured by a coping stone which is sat on the planks very cautiosly.

 

The stop planks in question are in Sale town centre, and could be vandalised, or the coping could be pushed into the canal which would cause the planks to literally pop out so the water would run away faster. When I was there, some youths were running across and there was no sign of any officials or security.

 

The northern side of the breach has suffered the most (obviously).. around the Trafford Park area, the canal was completely drained - you could see the bottom, but because of the stop planks, the southern part of the canal is bypassing the poorly installed stop planks and is being lost through the damaged sluice at Castlefield. This is putting the boats on the moorings from Sale to Preston Brook at risk of serious damage.

 

I've checked the canals website.. www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk but there is no mention of the breach.

 

I will be visiting the moorings again tommorow night and also wednesday, and no doubt I'll find out more so I'll keep you all posted.

[Big John]

Okay, I have some pictures.. only a couple but you can see the extent of the damage and delay the breach will cause.

Am I alone in thinking that there seem to be an increasing number of major stoppages on the system? Is it because there are less lengthsmen on the ground? If so, people in high places ought to be thinking how to reverse the trend.

[Liam]

Am I alone in thinking that there seem to be an increasing number of major stoppages on the system? Is it because there are less lengthsmen on the ground? If so, people in high places ought to be thinking how to reverse the trend.

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I'm not sure if that's the case on BW waters, but on the Bridgewater it isn't.

 

There are no lengthsman, but the canal has not been properly maintained for years. We have had water loss trouble in the past and, we keep on asking where it's going and they blame it on the weather etc but (according to an insider) it's dissapearing through the walls.

 

Because of the lack of water, you can now clearly see what would normally lurk under the water. Shopping trolleys, road cones, motorbikes, tyres, washing machines, bricks, the lot. The canal goes through a busy part of a city centre so there's bound to be stuff in the water, but the amount there.. woah, I'm suprised I could get through in the past.

 

Does anybody know if this stoppage is recorded elsewhere yet? As I'd like to keep upto date with it..

[boatchad]

We came down the Ashton this morning and BW turned us back at Ancoats after sruggling with all those anti-vandal locks on the locks and bridges, which meant going back up and doing them all over again [DOH]. The men from BW who gave us the news said it was a serious fault and may mean a stoppage of weeks rather than days, this said though they were only the workmen on the bank and only offering a guess as to the duration of the stoppage based on what sketchy info they had at the time.

 

Drove down to Castlefield tonight to have a look and there are four or five boats stuck high and dry with little or no water under their hulls at all. Being stranded within site of a water point but without a 50 metre hose must be a tad frustrating.

[John Orentas]

I am not sure it is lack of, or poor maintenance. I came through the Bridgewater last summer for the first time in many years and I was impressed by the way that all the stop planks, stop locks and associated cranes (peculiar to the Bridgewater) have been renovated and apparently put back into service.

 

The Bridgewater is unique 50 or so miles of broad lock free canal a lot of water to loose if the worst happens, that is why from it's first opening a complex system of stop locks and planks were installed.

[Liam]

I am not sure it is lack of, or poor maintenance. I came through the Bridgewater last summer for the first time in many years and I was impressed by the way that all the stop planks, stop locks and associated cranes (peculiar to the Bridgewater) have been renovated and apparently put back into service.

 

The Bridgewater is unique 50 or so miles of broad lock free canal a lot of water to loose if the worst happens, that is why from it's first opening a complex system of stop locks and planks were installed.

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You're right John, they all look in good nick.. but they're not. Most of them haven't been used for years upon years.. the only one which works I beleive, is the one which has been put into place at Sale, which is about an hour and a halfs cruising time from Castlefield. Why?

[MartinClark]

Hello,

 

There are some pictures of the scene in Castlefield on my website at

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news19.htm

 

The sluice gate that has failed is a wooden one, which raises the question of maintenance, which Liam and John mentioned. The sluice is opened when the River Medlock is flooding into Castlefield Basin, to help the excess water to run away more freely. MSC staff were having problems trying to seal off the entrance to the sluice culvert today, as there seems to be no provision for stop planks. They were having to place planks against the opening and pile big bags of sand against them. The first time they tried it, when the water level rose, the bags broke and the sand was sucked down through the culvert. They tried it again today with sealed sand bags inside big builders' bags.

 

The MSC are taking good care of the stranded boaters - bringing water to them amd taking rubbish away. They have lent generators to those who need them and have arranged for the boaters to use showers in a hotel.

 

The MSC ground staff reckon the canal could be closed for at least a week. Some BW chaps I spoke to had heard that three weeks was a possibility. At the moment, however, that is just guesswork.

[Bernie]

The canal is open again and filling, but the repair is only a temporary one for this season. So when it is decided whether the MSC or BW will pay for the permanent repair then the canal will be closed again so it can be done properly.

Edited July 11, 2005 by Bernie

[Liam]

The canal is open again and filling, but the repair is only a temporary one for this season. So when it is decided whether the MSC or BW will pay for the permanent repair then the canal will be closed again so it can be done properly.

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What's the Bridgewater got to do with BW?

 

And as for the fix, yep.. very temporary indeed, just big bags full of sand. Excellent advertisement for Travis Perkins!

[John Orentas]

What's the Bridgewater got to do with BW?

 

And as for the fix, yep.. very temporary indeed, just big bags full of sand. Excellent advertisement for Travis Perkins!

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Didn't the breach occur in Castlefield Basin, if so that is under BW jurisdiction.

 

This is rubish ! corrected later.

 

John O

Edited July 12, 2005 by John Orentas

[Bernie]

The breach could have been fixed permanently in a very short time but at the moment arguments are going on into who should pay and it will cost more in the long run. I have this on very good authority from an actual hands on manager involved who is a friend of ours.

Edited July 11, 2005 by Bernie

[bottle]

It will probably cost more to argue than to fix it

[Liam]

Didn't the breach occur in Castlefield Basin, if so that is under BW jurisdiction.

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I always thought Castlefield basin belonged to Peel Holdings/MSCCo.

 

There's some moorings just before Castlefield as you're going clockwise round the Cheshire Ring which belong to Bridgewater.. and Potato Wharf also belongs to the Bridgewater.

 

There's only the Rochdale and the Ashton which are owned by other parties around that area.. I *think*

 

There's also a trip boat, the L.S Lowry which only has a Bridgewater License on the moorings that belong to the Bridgewater canal, as the maintenance boats are also moored there.

 

Anyway.. I moor my boat half way along the main line.. will be checking the depth of the water this weekend as one of my 'neighbours' had the bright idea of fixing a length of wood with measurements (in inches) on the side deep into the mud. It was down 12 inches on Sunday afternoon.

[John Orentas]

Hi Liam.

 

You are quite right, I checked this up last night. The whole of Castlefield area is owned and controlled by by The Manchester Ship Canal Co. (Peel Holdings).

 

BW control finishes at the bottom of lock 92 of the Rochdale.

 

So it is hard to see how there can be any dispute about responsibility.

[Liam]

Hi Liam.

 

You are quite right, I checked this up last night.  The whole of Castlefield area is owned and controlled by by The Manchester Ship Canal Co.  (Peel Holdings).

 

BW control finishes at the bottom of lock 92 of the Rochdale.

 

So it is hard to see how there can be any dispute about responsibility.

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I thought it was, but I'd much prefer if it wasn't.

 

I think Peel Holdings are trying to get anyone to pay for it, they only like receiving money and not spending it.

[Bernie]

 

I think Peel Holdings are trying to get anyone to pay for it, they only like receiving money and not spending it.

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How right you are Liam. It is due to total lack of maintenance over the last 200 years that the breach has occured in the first place.

[Liam]

I've only had my boat for a year and a bit on the Bridgewater but my parents boat has been on it since '99.

 

I've only ever seen workboats tied up, no maintenance at all has been carried out as far as I'm aware.

 

There's a boat called Water Womble who you can see out and about now and again when the weather's nice... the guy has a nice big fishing net and scoops all of the ugly bits of floating rubbish off the top of the cut.. as he's floating (JUST!) over the shopping trolleys, road cones, fridges, beds.. the lot.

 

I appreciate that every canal has rubbish in it but I have never seen any sort of maintenance, or dredging being carried out on the Bridgewater.

 

After they had completed the new 'Stretford Marina' I tried to take my boat down the cut to have a look. I had rope, a coat and some bags on the prop on the way back and a length of wood which was about 6 inches thick/6 foot long(ish) wedged passed the skeg, beside the rudder, through the prop and wedged up the weedhatch. It's a good job it's only a 30ft boat.. I was able to stop it in time before I wiped out a cruiser moored up minding its own business...

 

Took me several attempts and a helluva lot of patience to eventually get it off but luckily no damage to the boat.

 

So much to say and not enough web space to say it all

Edited July 12, 2005 by Liam

[Bernie]

They actually dredged a short stretch by the London Bridge at Stockton Heath 2 years ago, but I must say that is the only time in 20 years I have seen anything going on. I was so amazed I actually took a couple of photo's.

Edited July 12, 2005 by Bernie