mercia marina to stoke golding (Barton-under-needwood flooding?)

[Guest]

The Soar rises and falls so quickly that by the time CRT had put up a stoppage notice it would be out of date!!!

Really??

[Alan de Enfield]

We were on the Soar last summer and passed someone washing their boat - the river rose 4".

[Richard T]

Really??

Last Wednesday the river at Sileby was in flood - Thursday morning when I was working on Tyto it had dropped into amber and was open. It then rained heavily and by Friday morning it was closed again. The river also tends to open in phases from upstream (Kings Lock) to downstream (Redhill). The Wreake also has a major affect on the levels of the Soar downstream of its junction with it.

How can CRT possibly keep track of levels and post stoppage notices when the level changes are so rapid? I suppose they could fit an automated system at every lock but this would be expensive.

[paddy r]

was at Alrewas yesterday and the river lock is chained and locked,the water is well in the red,there is a few (us included) boat waiting near branston water park, no one is in a rush to go much further as you will be sitting next to the A38 after Barton turns.I think common lock is due to be finished on the 14th,Keep an eye on the weather forecast we need a few dry days for the river to drop.

cheers Paddy

[BruceinSanity]

Damian passed my email to Sarina Young, Customer Service Co-Ordinator, who's sent me this:

 

 

With such accolade I thought that it would be very poor not to let you know that I'm out of the office all day tomorrow.

Though you can be sure that this is the first thing I'll look into when I get back in on Friday morning.

It's odd and confusing but I've honed my Miss Marple skills over the last few months so I'm sure that I'll come up with the goods and hopefully save Damian from potential eviction!

Have a lovely evening,

I'll let you know what happens.

[Alan de Enfield]

Damian passed my email to Sarina Young, Customer Service Co-Ordinator, who's sent me this:

 

I'll let you know what happens.

 

What a strange and unprofessional response, or, is this the face of a 'modern thinking, caring, sharing business' ?

[matty40s]

I have no idea why but the Alrewas section has never been on the stoppage notices.

Similarly, there are never any notices about the Soar being in flood.

 

Anyone any ideas why so much difference?

These stretches are EA controlled river. CRT maintains and has responsibility for the navigation structures only (locks).

[Mrs Trackman]

These stretches are EA controlled river. CRT maintains and has responsibility for the navigation structures only (locks).

Thanks for that Matty. You are a reliable source of information, or at least, you usually come up with an answer! So how does it work for the rest of the Trent?

[Guest]

 

What a strange and unprofessional response, or, is this the face of a 'modern thinking, caring, sharing business' ?

 

I agree 100% - if I had sent that out to a patient or a patients relative I would have earned a right rollicking from my boss.

 

Very unprofessional.

Last Wednesday the river at Sileby was in flood - Thursday morning when I was working on Tyto it had dropped into amber and was open. It then rained heavily and by Friday morning it was closed again. The river also tends to open in phases from upstream (Kings Lock) to downstream (Redhill). The Wreake also has a major affect on the levels of the Soar downstream of its junction with it.

How can CRT possibly keep track of levels and post stoppage notices when the level changes are so rapid? I suppose they could fit an automated system at every lock but this would be expensive.

 

Sounds like an ideal role for a small team of well trained and trusted volunteers who could monitor the levels and input into the CRT stoppages system.

 

They could be drawn from boaters who live close or other members of the local communities nearby.

[matty40s]

What a strange and unprofessional response, or, is this the face of a 'modern thinking, caring, sharing business' ?

I think that ms young has sent the wrong reply to bruceinsanity!! Engage brain before pressing send.

[Guest]

I think that ms young has sent the wrong reply to bruceinsanity!! Engage brain before pressing send.

 

... ah yes that possibly explains it. It doesn't fit the context of what was asked and where does Damian fit in?

[matty40s]

... ah yes that possibly explains it. It doesn't fit the context of what was asked and where does Damian fit in?

We had better not go into that!! ;-)

[BruceinSanity]

 

... ah yes that possibly explains it. It doesn't fit the context of what was asked and where does Damian fit in?

Oh dear, that's my fault for over editing. Here's the reply Damian sent me (note that in my email to him I'd expressed the hope that he was surviving the monsoon and also that I've had quite a lot of exchanges with him over the years):

 

 

Thanks Bruce - just about keeping my feet dry (hope you are too)!

I've copied in our ever-helpful customer service co-ordinator, Sarina Young. Sarina has been instrumental in educating the regional waterway units in how to use the new system. I'm not entirely sure what has happened here but if anyone can resolve it then I'd bet my house on Sarina!

I hope that extra context makes Sarina's tone more understandable.

[Alan de Enfield]

Oh dear, that's my fault for over editing. Here's the reply Damian sent me (note that in my email to him I'd expressed the hope that he was surviving the monsoon and also that I've had quite a lot of exchanges with him over the years):

 

I hope that extra context makes Sarina's tone more understandable.

 

No - not to me.

 

If it was an internal email sent between colleagues then yes / maybe,

 

Sent out to an external 'customer' then NO !!!

[Bettie Boo]

Oh dear, that's my fault for over editing. Here's the reply Damian sent me (note that in my email to him I'd expressed the hope that he was surviving the monsoon and also that I've had quite a lot of exchanges with him over the years):

 

I hope that extra context makes Sarina's tone more understandable.

I actually see nothing wrong with the "tone" of Sarina's reply. It was in keeping with the familiar standard set by Damian's reply to the OP which he was obviously copied in on. I for one would much rather receive her light-hearted, personal, quick reply explaining why she wouldn't be able to address the query until Friday than some cold impersonal office speak reply that could have been sent to anyone. I think it actually gives off a "I'm on the case and will personally look into your query at my first available opportunity, you are important to me" tone IMO.

[BruceinSanity]

I actually see nothing wrong with the "tone" of Sarina's reply. It was in keeping with the familiar standard set by Damian's reply to the OP which he was obviously copied in on. I for one would much rather receive her light-hearted, personal, quick reply explaining why she wouldn't be able to address the query until Friday than some cold impersonal office speak reply that could have been sent to anyone. I think it actually gives off a "I'm on the case and will personally look into your query at my first available opportunity, you are important to me" tone IMO.

Must say that's how I see it. I was quite startled by the negative responses to it.

[Guest]

Must say that's how I see it. I was quite startled by the negative responses to it.

 

Your are then perhaps easily 'startled' I would say.

 

If you had posted a bit more detail originally where people could have seen the full context it would perhaps would have not got the response to it that it did.

 

I am also still inclined to agree with Alan FWIW.

Edited February 13, 2014 by The Dog House

[BruceinSanity]

Well, I'm not especially startled to have had this response from Sarina yesterday:

 

 

I also now understand what you mean when you said that the alert was tweeted but no notice was issued as this confused me for a little while! The tweet you saw originated from the local waterway's twitter account, rather than the @CRTNotices (https://twitter.com/CRTnotices) which is our 'official' stoppages and notices account. The tweets of this twitter account are automatically created when a new notice is created on the website or an old notice is updated.

Once I realised this I called the waterway manager, Darren Green, to see why his team sent a tweet but did not upload a notice on this occasion. He explained to me that because the short length of the Alrewas River section within the T&M canal it can often only be in 'flood', effecting navigation, for a matter of hours. He also explained that, unlike the Aire & Calder or the River Trent, this is not a manned section of waterway and the difficulty in issuing notices is in obtaining the actual information about the water levels. His concern would be that the admin team entered a notice on the site in the morning and the river section came out of flood but they may not be aware of this for several hours and so the notice would not be updated promptly and, similarly, the River section could be in flood for several hours and unnavigable but the office may be unaware and so no notice is published.

Whilst it would undeniably be my preference (particularly with the current levels of rainfall) for the waterway team to publish the flood conditions of the Alrewas River section (and also the River Soar) in a consistent and proactive way on our new stoppage & notice site I do also understand the difficulties involved for this team in doing this. Although Damian and I have been involved in the development of the site and are continuing to monitor the clarity and quality of the information being published this isn't something that either of us can require the waterway to do.

However, it sounds as though the waterway do receive similar enquiries from other customers and therefore review their position quite regularly.

I've responded saying that I'm disappointed with the reply as I don't recognise that description of flood behaviour at Alrewas, true though it may well be for the Soar. In ten years of boating around this neck of the system, I've usually found that once Alrewas is in flood and the padlocks on, it stays that way for several days at least and I don't see why they shouldn't post a stoppage in the usual way.

 

I'm going to pursue this further with a couple of folk I know around here, one on the local Partnership and one who's just got some voluntary job in boaters' communications and who knows Mr Green. Others who feel it would be good to have more advice about the state of the Alrewas river section may want to make their views known to the Fazeley office.

[Mrs Trackman]

Well, I'm not especially startled to have had this response from Sarina yesterday:

 

I've responded saying that I'm disappointed with the reply as I don't recognise that description of flood behaviour at Alrewas, true though it may well be for the Soar. In ten years of boating around this neck of the system, I've usually found that once Alrewas is in flood and the padlocks on, it stays that way for several days at least and I don't see why they shouldn't post a stoppage in the usual way.

 

I'm going to pursue this further with a couple of folk I know around here, one on the local Partnership and one who's just got some voluntary job in boaters' communications and who knows Mr Green. Others who feel it would be good to have more advice about the state of the Alrewas river section may want to make their views known to the Fazeley office.

I think you are right. Especially a problem as boaters don't want to go along beside the A38 and wait at Wychnor where there are no facilities.

This caused a problem in the July 2007 floods. Boaters who checked when they got as far as Burton on Trent were told Alrewas was shut on a day we came through from Alrewas. It was 2 weeks before Alrewas re opened and thus some boaters spent their entire summer holiday around Burton on Trent.