Boat trashed by thieving b*****ds

[magictime]

I suppose we should have known better than to leave our boat in Wigan, but after a long day coming down the 21 locks and needing to leave it somewhere near a station, that's what we did a couple of weeks ago. We returned on Thursday to find the boat tied up a couple of hundred yards from where we left it, with all but one of the windows smashed, the doors forced open, the interior trashed and a lot of stuff missing - ranging from our DVD player to washing up liquid and matches.

 

Not the best start to a few days away. As you can imagine, there have been lots of phone calls to insurers, police and boatyards. We decided to stick it out and stay on board, windows or no windows, which wasn't as bad as it sounds (the weather having been fairly warm and dry) and gave us a couple of days to tidy up on our way to the boatyard we hope will be doing the repairs for us. We even managed to stick to our original plan to leave the boat in Middlewich, planning to return for the FAB festival in a couple of weeks - only now it's in a boatyard awaiting repairs rather than on the towpath somewhere handy for the nearest station.

 

Obviously the whole experience has been a bit crap, but what's really made us angry is that the CaRT were apparently aware of problems with the boat for over a week and didn't get in touch with us. We spoke to two CaRT employees who came to help us through the Poolstock locks (our windlasses having been pinched!), and apparently they'd had to deal with several incidents involving our boat - it was cut adrift more than once, was left on the bottom when vandals emptied the pound and had to be refloated, and showed signs of an attempted break-in. They'd reported all this to their office, but no-one phoned us to let us know, even though our license number is clearly displayed in the window. The serious vandalism had apparently only just happened in the day or two before we returned to the boat, so could have been avoided completely if someone had just phoned us at the first sign of trouble so we could have come and moved the boat on.

 

On the plus side, fellow boaters have been predictably helpful and supportive, offering everything from tea and sympathy to spare windlasses and wood. If this was you, thank you!

[Captain Fizz]

Hope you manage to get sorted.

It is not so much the theft, but the wanton damage just for the sake of it that is such a pain.

[Neil2]

I truly sympathise. Something similar happened to our boat a few years ago but at least BW as it was then got straight in touch with us - I'd maybe raise this with the CRT customer services people, it won't do you any good but it might help future victims.

 

It's sad but I wouldn't leave our boat unattended even just overnight on the towpath these days, and I certainly wouldn't have another towpath mooring.

 

Wigan is a known trouble spot but this sort of thing could happen almost anywhere these days. I'm pretty sure our boat was broken into by another boat owner. To add insult to injury the police wouldn't even send someone out to investigate as they regarded it as "low level crime".

[NickF]

It really makes you feel sad when people can not respect someone else's property, and what a sorry state of affairs that no one let you know what was going on. I hope you get it all sorted out soon and are not too put off by the experience.

[MHS]

That's horrible. I feel so sorry for you.

 

We have moored overnight at Wigan junction. We never left the boat unattended while picking a friend up at the station.

 

We were last through the around 2 weeks ago, and a few days later the locks were shut after vandalism.

 

Won't be mooring there again soon.

[John V]

Magictime...sorry to hear this. I hope you quickly get over the shock and upset this has caused

[Ally]

So sorry to hear about this, it must be devastating. If your windows happen to be full pane S type, I have 2 new ones, though in Leicestershire. Hope the boat yard and insurance sort you out!

[canals are us?]

So sorry to hear this. Hope you get it sorted. I know it may sound odd what with the damage done but at least it wasn't set on fire.

I certainly would be sending CART customer services an email outlying your valid grievances.

 

James

Edited June 1, 2014 by canals are us?

[peterboat]

What a pain for you I really hope the gits that did get whats coming to them. It doesnt help you but at least its justice. I to worry when I moor my boat whilst out and about and have in the past had the lines cut at Barnby Dun we were on board at the time so wasnt a total disaster. hope it is all sorted out soon and good luck

 

Peter

[Bettie Boo]

So sorry to hear this has happened to you. I hope your insurance & boatyard gets everything to rights quickly and hassle free for you. What an awful thing to happen.

[Guest]

Really sorry to hear this, it must be an awful experience for you. I hope everything is sorted quickly, and you can put it behind you

As I have stated on previous occasions, I am peed off with the yobbos in Wigan and our "end" of the L&L canal. It seemed to quieten down for a few years but looks like it is kicking off again. A few boats torched around our way on the L&L these past months.

[pendle]

Sorry to hear this and hope all is resolved soon. Where you on the ''safe moorings'' outside the C@RT offices? The last time I moored there the lock on the gate was knackered-I took it into the office and asked fort to be fixed-this was last September

[Hawkmoth]

It's Wigan, what more do you need to say! It's one of the few places we've been that we are truly unhappy to stop.

Maybe it's about time the local politicians and police got a grip. I get the impression that almost everyone on the canal system knows how bad it is, yet the local population do nothing about their reputation.

Bob

 

ETA Sorry to hear of your trouble. I hope it hasn't cost you too much and that the insurance works as it should.

Edited June 1, 2014 by lyraboat

[magictime]

Thanks everyone! And James,

 

I know it may sound odd what with the damage done but at least it wasn't set on fire.

 

that doesn't sound odd at all - we've thought the same thing ourselves. There are many ways it could have been an awful lot worse.

[Guest]

This is what some scrotes did at Buscough on the L&L last month:

 

http://www.southport.gb.com/southport/news_photo/Arson_On_The_Leeds_Liverpool_Canal_Burscough-53195103.htm

[Pie Eater]

Magictime - Sorry to hear about what happened in my home town. I cycle the Wigan towpaths when the weather is good but I did not cycle at all last week.

 

The week before I did notice a blue narrowboat moored below Poolstock Locks and a pink narrowboat moored above Poolstock Locks for a number of days.(no idea if one of these was your boat)

With hindsight both these boats could have moored in front of the CaRT offices near the dry dock which is probably the safest place to moor near to the railway station.

 

A bit late for you but the local advice is not to leave unattended boats on the towpath in Wigan.

 

Other options are to leave boats at Crooke Marina or join the AWCC and see if Crooke Cruising Club or Douglas Valley Cruising Club have room on their visitor moorings.

 

Steve

[homer2911]

So sorry to hear of this awful experience, and I do hope you get over it asap. Just as a matter of interest, where in Middlewich were you hoping to leave the boat unattended in readiness for the Folk & Boat Festival beginning June 13?

[magictime]

Pie Eater - yup, the pink boat (we like to kid ourselves it's purple) is ours.

 

homer2911 - we were thinking of leaving it on the Shroppie, near Clive Green Bridge (bridge 24), which looks reasonably handy both for Winsford station and for the festival site.

[RichardH]

It really saddens me to hear stories like this and leaves me wondering what peculiar pleasure people achieve from their moronic actions.

 

As news ripples, it further 'scares' people from venturing up the flight onto the lovely Leeds Liverpool.

Edited June 3, 2014 by RichardH

[rubblequeen]

It would seem that there might be a training issue here for people employed by CRT in so far as presumably the CRT person in an area know for trouble could be required to contact the head office who would contact the owner and give them a warning about it not being the best place to leave an unattended boat. Also, as I would expect in this case, first signs of trouble contact the owner. In this case it seems that CRT had been involved on a few occasions and no one contacted the owner. Does CRT have any responsibility of care? Is there a forum with boating reps concerns can be raised and how do we contact the rep?

 

I know that at some point I am going to have to leave my boat for a couple of days in an area unknown to me to attend a relatives wedding so it would be nice if it was a know dodgy spot to get that call.-

[Ally]

There have been a couple of threads recently about dangerous mooring places. Might perhaps be worth someone starting a thread that we can all put mooring spots that are best avoided?

[matty40s]

Matty tries to think of all his favourite moorings....

[Pie Eater]

 

It would seem that there might be a training issue here for people employed by CRT in so far as presumably the CRT person in an area know for trouble could be required to contact the head office who would contact the owner and give them a warning about it not being the best place to leave an unattended boat. Also, as I would expect in this case, first signs of trouble contact the owner. In this case it seems that CRT had been involved on a few occasions and no one contacted the owner. Does CRT have any responsibility of care? Is there a forum with boating reps concerns can be raised and how do we contact the rep?

 

I know that at some point I am going to have to leave my boat for a couple of days in an area unknown to me to attend a relatives wedding so it would be nice if it was a know dodgy spot to get that call.-

It is awful that the office staff did not contact the owner when CaRT bankside staff reported the problems to the office in the first instance.

 

Steve

[Pykebird]

Trouble is every 5 boaters will have a different experience at different times. It only takes the odd one or two trouble makers to spoil it. Then the more boaters don't use an area, the more it becomes a no go area. I spoke to a couple of the guys working at one of the locks today, one is from the area. He seem to think it is mainly kids who get bored in summer holidays who are the main concern.

[Chalky White]

i think us boaters should stick together and start a vigilante group and show this scum what will happen to them should they get caught in the act, maybe had down the weed hatch while the prop is running.

 

hope the scum get caught