Northampton Arm

[Leo No2]

Notice Alert

Northampton Arm (Grand Union Canal)

Starts At: Bridge 2

Ends At: Lock 17

Saturday 6 June 2015 10:15 until further notice

Type: Navigation Closure

Reason: 3rd Party Works

Original message:

We have been instructed to close the canal in this area by the Environment Agency following a serious pollution incident.

The Environment Agency are analysing the contaminant and do not want further transfer of water until they know what has entered the watercourse.

We will review this notice on Monday 8th June, but may not be able to re-open the canal until further instruction from the Environment Agency.

[Purple Fairie]

Just spoken to EA, one of the pipes next to bridge 2 has cracked and leaked kerosene into the canal. Obviously they don't want boats coming down and flushing the pollution any further than necessary and Gayton Marina has been evacuated as a precaution.

[matty40s]

Is there a limit to the amount of 25 litre cans we can bring to help alleviate the pollution issue? ?

[AMModels]

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/3603/northampton-arm-grand-union-canal

 

Major pollution incident according to a local boater, someone tried to tap into a local avgas pipeline and ruptured it spilling thousands of gallons between bridge 2 and lock 17. Local team think they may have to pump out all the water in this stretch.

Edited June 6, 2015 by AMModels

[Leo No2]

This - http://www.northants.police.uk/#!/News/26049 from Northants Police.

 

Police investigation launched after thousands of litres of fuel leak into Grand Union Canal

Published today at 13:09

Northamptonshire Police are today investigating after thousands of litres of fuel leaked into the Grand Union Canal at Gayton Marina.

 

Firefighters were called shortly before 4.15am today to discover a highly inflammable fuel from a pipeline near the marina was leaking directly into the water.

 

Assisted by the Environment Agency, the Canal and River Trust and specialist contractors, an operation was started immediately to try stop the leak and to remove the fuel from the surface of the water.

 

The area affected has been contained to about a 600-metre stretch from the Blisworth Arm, running south towards the M1 at Rothershorpe.

 

The vapour created can cause breathing difficulties and as a result 10 people were evacuated from the immediate area and have been individually assessed by triage staff from the East Midlands Ambulance Service. They have been placed in temporary accommodation by staff from Northamptonshire County Councils Emergency Planning Service.

 

Police have also searched all 150 boats in the immediate area to check if anyone else was on board.

 

Chief Supt Paul Fell, who is leading the operation for Northamptonshire Police, said: Id like to reassure people this leak will have no detrimental effect on fuel supplies in the local area. However, this was a criminal act which has had very significant environmental consequences in that stretch of the canal.

 

"We are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in that area during the early hours of today to contact us as soon as possible on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 222.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Leo No2

[Stormbringer]

Nasty.....

[MoominPapa]

Those long-distance transfer pipelines are used for petrol, diesel and jet fuel in turn. (They capture and re-refine the small amount of mixted product when they change from one to another.) I bet whoever was trying to tap it wanted diesel. They were very lucky not to get unleaded at 150psi.

 

The sort of thing you hear about in deepest, darkest Africa, not Northants: especially at the posh end of the arm.....

 

 

MP.

[Purple Fairie]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention Leo No2, I'm in charge of updating our IWA Northampton Branch Facebook and Twitter pages, but hadn't looked at my computer today until I popped into the forum on my phone and saw this!

[Leo No2]

Towpath now closed as well.

[Batavia]

Those long-distance transfer pipelines are used for petrol, diesel and jet fuel in turn. (They capture and re-refine the small amount of mixted product when they change from one to another.) I bet whoever was trying to tap it wanted diesel. They were very lucky not to get unleaded at 150psi.

 

The sort of thing you hear about in deepest, darkest Africa, not Northants: especially at the posh end of the arm.....

 

 

MP.

More like 1200 to 1400 psi. Don't try this at home.

 

Fuel theft from pipelines has now become very prevalent in Europe, with quite a number of major thefts openly reported in the UK(plus the ones that don't get widely discussed - or which have gone undetected!).

 

Chris G

[ditchcrawler]

Those long-distance transfer pipelines are used for petrol, diesel and jet fuel in turn. (They capture and re-refine the small amount of mixted product when they change from one to another.) I bet whoever was trying to tap it wanted diesel. They were very lucky not to get unleaded at 150psi.

 

The sort of thing you hear about in deepest, darkest Africa, not Northants: especially at the posh end of the arm.....

 

 

MP.

Didn't it happen on the estate of some MP some time back

Edit to add

This is the one

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/police-probe-theft-of-oil-from-pipeline-under-nick-cleggs-country-residence-9659184.html

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-27108291

 

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-01-21/theft-from-fuel-pipelines/

Edited June 6, 2015 by ditchcrawler

[Tuscan]

Police investigation launched after thousands of litres of fuel leak into Grand Union Canal

Published today at 13:09

Northamptonshire Police are today investigating after thousands of litres of fuel leaked into the Grand Union Canal at Gayton Marina.

 

Firefighters were called shortly before 4.15am today to discover a highly inflammable fuel from a pipeline near the marina was leaking directly into the water.

 

Assisted by the Environment Agency, the Canal and River Trust and specialist contractors, an operation was started immediately to try stop the leak and to remove the fuel from the surface of the water.

 

The area affected has been contained to about a 600-metre stretch from the Blisworth Arm, running south towards the M1 at Rothershorpe.

 

The vapour created can cause breathing difficulties and as a result 10 people were evacuated from the immediate area and have been individually assessed by triage staff from the East Midlands Ambulance Service. They have been placed in temporary accommodation by staff from Northamptonshire County Council’s Emergency Planning Service.

 

Police have also searched all 150 boats in the immediate area to check if anyone else was on board.

 

Chief Supt Paul Fell, who is leading the operation for Northamptonshire Police, said: “I’d like to reassure people this leak will have no detrimental effect on fuel supplies in the local area. However, this was a criminal act which has had very significant environmental consequences in that stretch of the canal.

 

"We are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in that area during the early hours of today to contact us as soon as possible on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 222.

[MoominPapa]

Didn't it happen on the estate of some MP some time back

Edit to add

This is the one

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/police-probe-theft-of-oil-from-pipeline-under-nick-cleggs-country-residence-9659184.html

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-27108291

 

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-01-21/theft-from-fuel-pipelines/

Interesting. I'd not seen that.

 

The thing is that the where the pipeline crosses the arm, it would be very difficult to install a tap which wouldn't be noticed. The pipes (two) are in plain view. They rise out of the ground, cross the arm in arches roughly the same size as the arch of the bridge, and then disappear into the ground again.

 

MP.

[Peter X]

Having gone down the Northampton Arm on Thursday afternoon (it wasn't me guv) something about the containment operation puzzles me a bit. As I remember it the pipe bridge is somewhere near the bridge no. 2 (there is no bridge 1, it must have been removed at some point), i.e. between Gayton Junction and the top lock. Prompt closure of the whole arm would stop the pollution reaching the Nene, but only provided that water ceases to enter the bywash of lock 1. I suppose that some sort of boom would be deployed to stop the pollution floating back into the main GU, and perhaps to protect Gayton Marina, but can CRT easily lower the level of the very long pound from Stoke Bruerne to Whilton sufficiently to get it below that bywash? In other words, either they need to do that, perhaps by controlling the flow at Stoke Bruerne top lock, or they have to temporarily block up the entrance to the bywash at lock 1 of the Northampton Arm. Actually, I think I've answered my own question; the latter would probably be an awful lot less trouble!

 

I just hope they've contained the pollution quickly enough to protect the main GU and limit the environmental damage. That arm is an attractive stretch of canal (if you ignore the M1 where it crosses at lock 12, and some buildings at the Northampton end), with its fair share of wildlife.

[stagedamager]

I believe by the time it was contained it was working it's way down the arm, and was certainly smelly by the M1 crossing that morning. I agree. Nice flight though!

[Guest User]

Well, the pipe appears to be all bandaged up ...

 

 

I guess it may be a while yet until the spill itself is all safely mopped up

[Ssscrudddy]

Hope it's open again by Thursday

[Leo No2]

I have just driven by and the stench of kerosene is all pervading. The little road that runs along the back of Gayton marina to Arm End and Blisworth marina is closed.

Update on 08/06/2015:

The clean up work is still continuing following the pollution incident.

The navigation will need to remain closed until further notice from the Environment Agency.

We will be reviewing the closure with the Environment Agency midday tomorrow (Tuesday 9th June) and an update will be posted shortly afterwards.

Original message:

We have been instructed to close the canal in this area by the Environment Agency following a serious pollution incident.

The Environment Agency are analysing the contaminant and do not want further transfer of water until they know what has entered the watercourse.

We will review this notice on Monday 8th June, but may not be able to re-open the canal until further instruction from the Environment Agency.

[Leo No2]

Update on 09/06/2015:

 

Northampton Arm will be open by 14:00pm today Tuesday 9th June 2015. Short delays are to be expected while low pounds are filled. Our local team will be onsite from 13:30pm until water levels are restored.

[Cathjt]

Thank you for the updates! Glad to hear it's all open again, must have been a nightmare for the staff at the marina - boats out that couldn't get back and boats due to go out on hire unable to leave. Our mooring is there too, but we're not going out till 21st, thankfully.

[DHutch]

I wonder how many other canal crossings of oil pipe lines there are, the one over the bridge at the foot of Wharton's Lock (Chester Branch) has often struck me as very handy for bulk loading a narrowboat with its contents.

 

 

Daniel

[MoominPapa]

I wonder how many other canal crossings of oil pipe lines there are, the one over the bridge at the foot of Wharton's Lock (Chester Branch) has often struck me as very handy for bulk loading a narrowboat with its contents.

 

 

Daniel

Given that oil pipelines and canals are extensive linear features, there must be lots of crossing points. There used to be maps online, but most seem to have disappeared in this age where we're scared of our own shadows.

 

Just look for the black lines in Nicholsons to see the number of pipe bridges, then add in all the buried pipes. I don't know what determines if a pipe goes over or under a canal: most of the marked gas pipelines seem to go under.

 

There's a pipeline crossing under the canal by Crick Marina carrying chalk/water sludge from quarry to the cement works at Rugby.

 

MP.

Edited June 10, 2015 by MoominPapa

[Smudge]

Those long-distance transfer pipelines are used for petrol, diesel and jet fuel in turn. (They capture and re-refine the small amount of mixted product when they change from one to another.) I bet whoever was trying to tap it wanted diesel. They were very lucky not to get unleaded at 150psi.

 

The sort of thing you hear about in deepest, darkest Africa, not Northants: especially at the posh end of the arm.....

 

 

MP.

It wasnt the posh end mate, it was at Gayton

[valrene9600]

The guy sitting in a van in the far corner of the marina says they are coming next week to do a permanent repair.

Not quite sure what he`s guarding with his headphones in and sitting in a van the other side of the trees the pipeline out of sight. Still I suppose it ticks some boxes on paperwork somewhere.

Still a very strong smell of the fuel in the area.

[Tim Lewis]

I wonder how many other canal crossings of oil pipe lines there are, the one over the bridge at the foot of Wharton's Lock (Chester Branch) has often struck me as very handy for bulk loading a narrowboat with its contents.

 

 

Daniel

 

I remember many years ago the Welsh Nationalists blowing up the Elan Valley water pipeline where it crossed a railway cutting near Stourbridge. Severn Trent then spent much money over the following years putting all such crossings underground, including the one over the River Severn. I am surprised the fuel pipeline authority have not done the same.

 

Tim

Edited June 14, 2015 by Tim Lewis