Lockie Not A Lockie.

[Suzie_q]

Interesting.

 

Forewarned is forearmed.

 

 

Lock 22, Great Haywood, Staffordshire

 

Thursday 1 August 2013 until further notice

The Trust has become aware that there is an individual in the Great Haywood area of the Trent & Mersey Canal who is impersonating Trust staff as a volunteer lock keeper. The young male is wearing a hi-viz vest and offering to aid boats through the locks as well as piloting and may be seeking payment for his services.

 

We would like to make everyone aware that this individual is not acting on behalf of the Trust and because of his recent behaviour the Trust have informed Staffordshire Police. We are also aware that several boaters have contacted the Police directly to report the situation. The Trust will continue to monitor the location with the local police.

 

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[Guest]

out of interest, because I've never noticed, are Trust staff supposed to carry ID.

 

I normally see, the blue sweat shirt and life jacket and think their genuine.

[junior]

Just seen this on Facebook. I wonder if he's made much money, i'm in Camden next week so may take a hi-viz jacket.

[Ian B]

out of interest, because I've never noticed, are Trust staff supposed to carry ID.

 

I normally see, the blue sweat shirt and life jacket and think their genuine.

 

I have been a vollie up on the Liverpool Link for just over a year,

 

We have polo shirts, fleeces etc. but no name tag or ID

[Lockie Junior]

Speaking as a Volunteer Lockie myself, I thinks it shameful. Why would anyone want to impersonate a lock keeper of all people? The only perks we get is the odd bottle of beer from a grateful boater. Besides, its deliberately very easy to become a volunteer, so why not just sign up?

 

The Dog House: Yes, volunteer lockies wear trust branded blue t-shirts and a trust branded lifejacket (usually red). They all should have name badges though some (myself included) choose not to wear them for reasons of their own. They should still produce them if you ask, and its the closest thing we have to an official ID. The badges are nice lacquered white plastic with a black logo and writing on and are usually held on with a magnet.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

[john6767]

Speaking as a Volunteer Lockie myself, I thinks it shameful. Why would anyone want to impersonate a lock keeper of all people? The only perks we get is the odd bottle of beer from a grateful boater. Besides, its deliberately very easy to become a volunteer, so why not just sign up?

 

The Dog House: Yes, volunteer lockies wear trust branded blue t-shirts and a trust branded lifejacket (usually red). They all should have name badges though some (myself included) choose not to wear them for reasons of their own. They should still produce them if you ask, and its the closest thing we have to an official ID. The badges are nice lacquered white plastic with a black logo and writing on and are usually held on with a magnet.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

The issue here presumably is that the individual is saying is saying he represents CRT and is asking for money. You do get various unofficial individuals who turn up and locks and help work them, and I presume CRT has no issue with them.

 

Not sure it is easy to volunteer though, my son who is home for the summer from Uni has tried and faied to get a job for the summer, so he applied to be a volunteer lock keeper but there in no H&S inductions until September, so he can't do it.

[Pykebird]

My friend and I had a similar thing happen when we were on our way to stratford. But this nice chap was on a bike, did not ask for any payment and locked us both up and was not wearing any hi viz.

We gave him a couple of beers and a fiver from each of us as having 2 boats single handed, He certainly made life easier.

I seem to remember He had his own windlass and just loved being around boats. At no time did we feel under threat.

[Bobbybass]

Wigan flight...going up...

Old chap on a bike helped us all the way up..

Much appreciated...

[MtB]

 

I normally see, the blue sweat shirt and life jacket and think their genuine.

 

Works in reverse too. When I single hand on the Thames, particularly in poor weather or darkness, I wear my automatic life jacket and I occasionally get mistaken for a lockie by other boaters. I think people just see the life jacket and subconsciously this telegraphs the message: 'bloke in charge'.

 

 

MtB

[mayalld]

The issue here presumably is that the individual is saying is saying he represents CRT and is asking for money. You do get various unofficial individuals who turn up and locks and help work them, and I presume CRT has no issue with them.

 

This was always a predictable outcome of CRT suddenly deciding to use volunteers to do "non-jobs"

 

It has always been the case that there are people out there who wish to "help" with locks. Some may be good at it, some may not, but you use all of them at your own peril.

 

With the advent of Volunteers from CRT operating locks, there is suddenly a perception created that it is quite normal for somebody who is (supposedly) trained, and is insured to offer to help.

 

This makes people less alert for the fact that random untrained individuals will seek to play with locks.

[MtB]

This makes people less alert for the fact that random untrained individuals will seek to play with locks.

 

Being a random untrained individual myself, this is one of the major reasons I have a boat.

 

So I can play with locks without being told off.

 

 

MtB

[PaulG]

There was a guy who used to lockwheel on the Stourbridge flight. I think he was a bit "special" - never asked for money, but we used to give him a few quid, which he really appreciated.

Also been lockwheeled down Tibberton locks on the W&B. That guy wouldn't accept any cash - he said he did it for the exercise!

I suppose the issue with this latest character is that he's claiming to be working with C&RT.

[Pluto]

On the A&CN, at one time lock keepers were paid 1 penny by every boat passing through as their wage. The tradition continued into the 1970s, as I went out with the Coop coal boats, and they chucked out a penny by the control cabin at every lock.

[Lockie Junior]

The issue here presumably is that the individual is saying is saying he represents CRT and is asking for money. You do get various unofficial individuals who turn up and locks and help work them, and I presume CRT has no issue with them.

 

Not sure it is easy to volunteer though, my son who is home for the summer from Uni has tried and faied to get a job for the summer, so he applied to be a volunteer lock keeper but there in no H&S inductions until September, so he can't do it.

 

I have personally no issues with people helping at locks, if they know what they're doing (the Trent is a different matter). Asking for, or expecting, payment for the task is something that I do strongly disagree with (although a bottle of beer never goes amiss). To my knowledge CRT has no issues with people helping out informally at locks, provided they don't claim to represent CRT.

 

Sorry to hear your son is having trouble, different regions operate differently and East Mids (where I am) is one of the best for volunteers (not biased, honest! ). Your region may well do things differently. Also I joined over 2 years ago, before they started doing all the courses. I learnt from my elders and was grateful for it, much better than a PowerPoint in some stuffy office.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

[tillergirl]

There is another guy on the T&M as well.............at Swarkstone Lock claiming to be a volunteer lockie for CRT. Does not wear the "uniform" and no life jacket..................he did help us up earlier this year but IMO was not "trained" in any way. Just opens everything up without any communication. Could be the same guy I suppose but seems unlikely. This guy has also been reported to CRT.

Edited August 1, 2013 by tillergirl

[John Foster]

The main issue with this guy at Great Haywood is that he had started to go further than help at the lock. He had started to knock on boats at all times including ours at 10.40pm to state he was doing a 'night patrol' for 'the waterways'. This alarmed a number of boaters including ourselves. He was wearing a yellow jacket and had a torch. Anyway reported to police and CRT who both said others had complained. Hence CRT issuing advice.

[Lockie Junior]

Well done for reporting him tillergirl. Its unsafe individuals like this that give us CRT volunteer lockies a bad name.

 

The night patrol thing at Great Haywood is going way too far though (how sad must this person be?). I mean, who on earth would want to imitate a Patrol Officer? The amount of flak those people get is unreal.

 

Regards,

Lockie.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Lockie Junior

[Suzie_q]

There is another guy on the T&M as well.............at Swarkstone Lock claiming to be a volunteer lockie for CRT. Does not wear the "uniform" and no life jacket..................he did help us up earlier this year but IMO was not "trained" in any way. Just opens everything up without any communication. Could be the same guy I suppose but seems unlikely. This guy has also been reported to CRT.

Know who you mean at swarkstone. In fact I read the original note twice to be sure it wasn't him.

 

But he has never asked for anything, but I agree he was dangerous. And his patter was very condescending and upset Sue a couple of times.

[churchward]

I do not know the circumstances around this and if he is demanding payment (and claiming to be CRT authorised) that isn't good.

 

However, purely from a point of view of someone helping at locks as long as I thought they were not endangering anybody I am fine with it. I do not see that they have to be CRT volenteers. I have encountered a few people who like to do a bit of lock wheeling as it were around the system and been grateful for their help. Just last year a chap helped us up the Delph flight in Brum.

[Chris Davidson]

WE met this chap at Great Haywood last month.

He is a young homeless lad and sleeps under the bridge at night.

He helped a lot of people through the lock when we were there.

I never heard him asking anyone for any type of payment and he was

pleasant enough, if not a little smelly.

[nb Innisfree]

Wigan flight...going up...

Old chap on a bike helped us all the way up..

Much appreciated...

Same here, nice bloke, explained all the pros and cons of the flight, we made friends and exchanged life stories. He accepted a lift on a working boat when he was 15 and was hooked on canal boating from then on, now he's retired he misses the life. He asked if he could bring his son round later to where we were moored, we fed and watered them both and spent a pleasant hour or three chewing the fat.

 

Hope to see him again on the way back down in August.

[sassan]

WE met this chap at Great Haywood last month.

He is a young homeless lad and sleeps under the bridge at night.

He helped a lot of people through the lock when we were there.

I never heard him asking anyone for any type of payment and he was

pleasant enough, if not a little smelly.

 

Smells bad, no fixed address, sleeps under a bridge, operates locks... that's just us boaters, isn't it?

[Ian B]

I have personally no issues with people helping at locks,

 

Lockie.

We on the Liverpool Link actively encourage boaters to work the locks with us ,once we have taken the anti vandal devices off ,it's away you go , nobody is stopped from helping,

Ian

[J R ALSOP]

This year we have had a man help up Farmers Bridge, he was like a human dynamo, he used to have a boat but when wife became ill he had to give it up, he would not take anything he just still liked to do locks, he lived about halfway up in some flats. He goes as far as top of Camp Hill. We had help from another man on the Delph flight, he just liked to help. We also had a lady at Marsworth, she had a share in a multi-ownership boat, and was loosening up for her holiday. All knew what they were doing, going ahead or closing up, not wasting water, only emptying when locks started to fill and vice versa. We only saw 2 Cart lockies and they were entrenched at the top lock at Stoke Bruerne. this was all after 600 miles and 500 locks.

[jelunga]

 

I have been a vollie up on the Liverpool Link for just over a year,

 

We have polo shirts, fleeces etc. but no name tag or ID

All regular volunteers should have name badges. But no id cards, even for paid staff.