Bother at farmer's bridge

[the villian]

when i worked in brum

most trouble was out in selly oak and the vale

[Greg_F]

Went down Farmers Bridge today, "campsite" still at bottom lock and the happy drinkers were by the lock moorings.

We picked up at the bottom of the lock and so did not communicate with them or have any problems, but could be intimidating.

[rolimo]

There is, so I am told, a gang of drunken people who have taken against boaters at the bottom of the Farmer's bridge flight. Apparently a crew of US tourists bought them a load of groceries yesterday only for them to be found; full, floating in the canal today, and they've threatened a boat today.

 

They'll probably be scared off soon but if you're travelling that bit and draw attention be cautious!

 

Dan

i live on the bcn and travel it regularly and have never had a problem at farmers bridge flight...the drunk vagrants are happy to stay drunk and the youths are too sloshed to cause a problem other than to themselves.lol

[Naughty Cal]

We have/had (not seen them for a while) a group of polish homeless/vagrants on the Witham just through Lincoln. The first time we came across them we were making our way through Stamp End lock when they approached. We thought that they would be trouble but in fact thet helped us through the lock. We repaid them with cans of lager which they seemed happy with and set off on our merry way. Have seen them a few times since and they are always happy to help (for beer of course). Just goes to show you cant judge a book by its cover. They mean no harm, they get drunk, they fall asleep.

[NBMike]

No problems in central London so far. I was unexpectedly hit unpleasantly hard by a banana lobbed from a bridge near Uxbridge, but nowt more serious than that.

 

Most of our potential problems, (but generally dangerous rather than threatening), have been in far more rural locations, but close to large conurbations. People diving into locks you are working through, or climbing on the roof, have repreesnted more trouble than we have seen in London, Birmingham or Leicester. Perhaps we have just been lucky ?

 

I certainly don't things have got worse - there are far fewer no-go areas now than there used to be IMO.

Wasn't me. I wasn't there. Honest