Danger On The Trent And Mersey Canal

[vicafloat]

Sorry to disagree with those who feel the OP is being melodramatic. I passed this length a fortnight ago

and the whole stretch is in a shocking state.I emailed David Baldacchino (CRT Manager for the canal) and he agreed

that 1) he had received a number of complaints lately and 2) that he intended to cruise this length to see for

himself! What concerned me most however, was the state of the banking all the way from the Dutton breach

site to Saltersford tunnel.I don't think any of us wants to see another breach in this area,and if complaining loudly

and often will bring an improvement I will continue to do it.

[Guest]

Sorry to disagree with those who feel the OP is being melodramatic. I passed this length a fortnight ago

and the whole stretch is in a shocking state.I emailed David Baldacchino (CRT Manager for the canal) and he agreed

that 1) he had received a number of complaints lately and 2) that he intended to cruise this length to see for

himself! What concerned me most however, was the state of the banking all the way from the Dutton breach

site to Saltersford tunnel.I don't think any of us wants to see another breach in this area,and if complaining loudly

and often will bring an improvement I will continue to do it.

Sadly you have missed the point of the objections to the OP.

 

But for clarity they were that not all our canals need to be the equivalent of the local well groomed A roads, most boaters can cope with a bit of overgrowth.

 

Thanks for the contact info. though. useful.

Edited August 6, 2013 by The Dog House

[tillergirl]

just reporting that we survived the return journey.............as far as we were concerned the nearness of the bottom to the top of the water was more of an issue for us.

[mayalld]

Hi, All.

New in here

Just read the post seems a lot of you seem to be content with making glib replies but at least this guy is trying to get something done with the state of this canal.

Wonder how many of you actually come out of your marinas and use the canals?

Maybe you should help.

 

He may well be trying to get something done, but his attempt to get something done is doomed to failure, because he is going about it in the wrong way!

 

• His letter is argumentative and insulting. Straight away, he has ensured that the recipient will be disinclined to help.
• He wants lots of people to send the same letter, because if they get lots of copies of the same letter, they will be bound to take notice. Not true. Campaigns to bombard somebody with multiple copies of the same letter achieve nothing.
• His letter seriously over-eggs the pudding. The excess growth may well be problematic, but hyperbole about how monstrously dangerous it is makes it all too easy to dismiss the letter as a crank

A well written, polite, letter from a single boater to the waterway manager that doesn't invent tenuous dangers would achieve FAR more than this.

[Laurie Booth]

No point....He won't be able to see from down there anyway.

 

So you're the boater I had a head on collision with.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

We moored at the site of the Dutton breach last night. Lovely spot with rings. Pity they haven't put a few more rings along the whole of the reconstructed section. There were four boats moored last night but one boat at the end banged his pin in the new path. I hope it missed the BT cable. A new hedgerow has been planted which will probably hide the lovely views across the Weaver valley in a year or two.

One aspect we noted about the reeds. For some reason along this stretch they have died back. In other areas they are thriving. This is in the dewatered stretch as well as adjacent areas. We wondered if spray had neen applied.

I do feel that the Trust could have a look at this area. The concrete edges look very precarious in places and lengths have slipped into the water.

Yes, offside vegetation is luxuriant here and great care is needed when passing.

I have mentioned my concerms about the proliferation of reeds blocking parts of the navigation here to the Trust in the past. I was assured that it is being regularly monitored but I was thanked for taking the time to let them know.

[RichardH]

I am sure Mr Parry will put the OP's letter at the top of his list and hire a strimmer over the weeked.

 

Why the need to go to the Chief Exec? Surely a note to the local waterway manager would be a more sensible starter for 10 along the lines of;

 

'Its a bit overgrown, is owt being done about it'

 

No need for Titanic 2 me thinks.

[Alanji]

We moored at the site of the Dutton breach last night. Lovely spot with rings. Pity they haven't put a few more rings along the whole of the reconstructed section. There were four boats moored last night but one boat at the end banged his pin in the new path. I hope it missed the BT cable. A new hedgerow has been planted which will probably hide the lovely views across the Weaver valley in a year or two.

 

My thoughts exactly. Such a pity.

[nebulae]

I seem to remember contractors clearing a length of reeds in 2011,Quite a short section,probably to make a passing place .I can think of more urgent work needed than clearing reedbeds. However, .once the offside vegetation prevents boat traffic,it soon silts up under the vegetation. In my opinion,CaRT should be a navigation authority.Trying to be a nature conservation trust at the same time introduces conflict of interest.(ie Montgomery Canal).

[dor]

Unfortunately all the offside vegetation control is now in the hands of contractors. At the winding hole just south of Nantwich the vegetation hasn't been cut back for years. As a result, boats turning can't help but direct their prop wash against the towpath bank and it is now collapsing. A couple of hours vegetation clearing not being done means several thousand pounds of repair to the towpath edge.

[Timleech]

Unfortunately all the offside vegetation control is now in the hands of contractors. At the winding hole just south of Nantwich the vegetation hasn't been cut back for years. As a result, boats turning can't help but direct their prop wash against the towpath bank and it is now collapsing. A couple of hours vegetation clearing not being done means several thousand pounds of repair to the towpath edge.

 

The contractors don't seem to have any boats, nearly all their work is done from the towpath unless they can borrow a boat from CRT's much diminished fleet.

Crazy.

 

Tim

[journeyperson]

Just to add my two-pennyworth (I think that's about 1.2p in this new-fangled decimal currency), the stretch of canal in question is one of my favourite bits for it's beauty but the reeds do need cutting back and so do some of the branches along the wooded sections. I can't think of anywhere that 2 narrowboats cant pass at the moment but it won't be long before it becomes a problem and it's a good job my chimney hat had a chain on it or I would have lost several along there this summer.

[MartinClark]

• He wants lots of people to send the same letter, because if they get lots of copies of the same letter, they will be bound to take notice. Not true. Campaigns to bombard somebody with multiple copies of the same letter achieve nothing.

 

I'm sure Mr Parry (or, more likely, whichever of his secretaries deals with his incoming emails) will note that only one copy of this letter arrives.

[Québec]

Although CRT and its contractors should be doing it, it occurs to me that if every boat that passes through pulls out a few reeds or cuts a little bit of overhanging branch (and safely disposes of it) on the really overgrown sections, it'll start to make things a bit easier! Wasn't that the idea behind Cameron's 'Big Society' i.e. "giving individuals and communities more control over their destinies"?

Edited August 8, 2013 by Québec

[Capt Col]

Secateur's at the ready.

Is there a bridge 217 on the T and M?

The bit that is worse is on the Shroppie on the northern approach to Nantwich, where they put the dredgings behind the fibre stuff a few years ago, which was a great idea, but now the willows and all other stuff are growing out of it and reducing the width of the canal.

[cotswoldsman]

Just interested to know if the Original Poster received an answer from Richard Parry or anyone else at CRT as I am sure Richard Parry would be far to busy himself to answer the email himself, but feel sure Customer Service would have passed it on to someone to answer.

[BruceinSanity]

Just interested to know if the Original Poster received an answer from Richard Parry or anyone else at CRT as I am sure Richard Parry would be far to busy himself to answer the email himself, but feel sure Customer Service would have passed it on to someone to answer.

Damian K tells me Richard P is on leave atm (Damian's asked me about availability to take Richard out for a half day one weekend.) I agree the OP's letter will get passed down the line for reply, presumably to the local waterway office in Northwich, but with a new boss they may not do that automatically, I guess.

[cotswoldsman]

Damian K tells me Richard P is on leave atm (Damian's asked me about availability to take Richard out for a half day one weekend.) I agree the OP's letter will get passed down the line for reply, presumably to the local waterway office in Northwich, but with a new boss they may not do that automatically, I guess.

I am we'll award that Richard Parry is on holiday as I am also aware that the OP has had a reply I just felt that having posted an Open Letter the OP might like to post the reply.

Oh glad to see RP going out with another boater again sounds like he likes to go out boating