And now the Birmingham New Line

[BWM]

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/sandwell/west-bromwich/2018/06/15/canal-locks-closed-off-overnight-after-vandals-cause-flood/

More info with video, etc.

[john6767]

2 hours ago, BWM said:

It appears that someone has gone to a lot of trouble to target all these components, the anti vandal locks make sense but breaking pawls, removing bolts and a collar sounds a bit more targeted - disgruntled boater, ex employee maybe?

Did we ever understand the reasoning the lock beams being sawn off on the Walsall, it could be similar.  Removing the gate collar to me sounds like they wanted to remove the gate and presumably destroy the lock.

[BWM]

53 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Did we ever understand the reasoning the lock beams being sawn off on the Walsall, it could be similar.  Removing the gate collar to me sounds like they wanted to remove the gate and presumably destroy the lock.

It does sound similar, and again, beyond the scope of ordinary vandalism in my experience. Vandals sometimes cause catastrophic damage but is usually more opportunist. Was anyone caught for the lock beams? 

[MtB]

3 hours ago, BWM said:

It appears that someone has gone to a lot of trouble to target all these components, the anti vandal locks make sense but breaking pawls, removing bolts and a collar sounds a bit more targeted - disgruntled boater, ex employee maybe?

 

I thought that too.

 

Not a 'moron' as Sea Dog alleges, but someone intelligent, resourceful, determined and bearing a massive grudge. 

[Hudds Lad]

4 hours ago, BWM said:

It appears that someone has gone to a lot of trouble to target all these components, the anti vandal locks make sense but breaking pawls, removing bolts and a collar sounds a bit more targeted - disgruntled boater, ex employee maybe?

i thought maybe scrap value, but it seems a lot of effort for little reward (locally we’ve had a spate of “scrap men” lifting anything metal from gardens without permission).

 

perhaps its something along the lines of an arsonist? someone delighting in watching something flood rather than burn. whatever the reason its plainly somebody a few drops short of a piss.

[BWM]

I asked one of the Crt people involved with this section about the recent events there and he'd seen some youngsters running away, but no evidence that they were involved. He also said that two men in their late 20s had been arrested for the previous sawing through of balance beams in the same area, but had no information on what the legal outcome was, which is surprising. 

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Not a 'moron' as Sea Dog alleges, but someone intelligent, resourceful, determined and bearing a massive grudge. 

Perhaps (although it's not rocket science) and yet still a moron in my book. The deed itself is what counts here, whatever the  reasoning, and it's hard not to think it a stupid thing to do given the actual and potential consequences. 

[MtB]

Just now, Sea Dog said:

Perhaps (although it's not rocket science) and yet still a moron in my book. The deed itself is what counts here, whatever the  reasoning, and it's hard not to think it a stupid thing to do given the actual and potential consequences. 

 

moron in British

(ˈmɔːrɒn  )

noun1. slang

a foolish or stupid person

2. offensive, old-fashioned

a person having an intelligence quotient of between 50 and 70, able to work under supervision

 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/moron

 

I hold that anyone able to achieve this level of damage is not someone with an IQ between 50 and 70, able to work only under supervision. 

 

Malicious yes, but not stupid.

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

moron in British

(ˈmɔːrɒn  )

noun1. slang

a foolish or stupid person

2. offensive, old-fashioned

a person having an intelligence quotient of between 50 and 70, able to work under supervision

 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/moron

 

I hold that anyone able to achieve this level of damage is not someone with an IQ between 50 and 70, able to work only under supervision. 

 

Malicious yes, but not stupid.

I was going with meaning #1.  Under the IQ based meaning #2, I'd defer. Perhaps we could we agree on a rather less specific term like "arseholes"?

[Wanderer Vagabond]

8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I thought that too.

 

Not a 'moron' as Sea Dog alleges, but someone intelligent, resourceful, determined and bearing a massive grudge. 

Or an idiot bearing a massive sledgehammer?

[LadyG]

17 hours ago, BWM said:

I asked one of the Crt people involved with this section about the recent events there and he'd seen some youngsters running away, but no evidence that they were involved. He also said that two men in their late 20s had been arrested for the previous sawing through of balance beams in the same area, but had no information on what the legal outcome was, which is surprising. 

I have never found The Polis give any feedback on crime. This includes vandalism where the perpetrator is known.

A lot of crime goes unpunished, which is not surprising.

Edited June 17, 2018 by LadyG

[Corixa]

Have the water levels in the area originally affected recovered or are they still low? I am planning on coming into Birmingham down the Farmers Bridge flight next Tuesday.

[john6767]

48 minutes ago, Corixa said:

Have the water levels in the area originally affected recovered or are they still low? I am planning on coming into Birmingham down the Farmers Bridge flight next Tuesday.

You would come up the Farmers Bridge flight into Birmingham, or did you mean coming into Birmingham and then down Farmers Bridge?.  When have now left Birmingham, by going down Farmers bridge , but even when it was low it was not enough to stop you, just making it slow going, but how much you would effected would depend on which way out of or into Birmingham you are going.

[Corixa]

6 minutes ago, john6767 said:

You would come up the Farmers Bridge flight into Birmingham, or did you mean coming into Birmingham and then down Farmers Bridge?.  When have now left Birmingham, by going down Farmers bridge , but even when it was low it was not enough to stop you, just making it slow going, but how much you would effected would depend on which way out of or into Birmingham you are going.

Sorry I meant up not down, coming from Bordesley Junction on the Digbeth Branch ( as I am aware that the Aston flight is closed). Then onto Kings Norton on the Worcester and Birminghan Canal. Heading to Stratford upon Avon and beyond?

[john6767]

8 minutes ago, Corixa said:

Sorry I meant up not down, coming from Bordesley Junction on the Digbeth Branch ( as I am aware that the Aston flight is closed). Then onto Kings Norton on the Worcester and Birminghan Canal. Heading to Stratford upon Avon and beyond?

Opposite to what we did.  So getting there is no problem, except Garrison and Ashted is not my favourite route, but as you say you have to go that way, as we did, at the moment.  The W&B was a bit  slow and the N Stratford is shallow at the best of times, but take it slowly and you will have now problem unless levels have got worse, which I doubt.

[springy]

Struck again last night,  Lee Bates C&RT tweet today - chains / padlocks cut & water run down flight

 

https://twitter.com/CRT_Lee

 

springy

 

[john6767]

There has to be something behind this, it is much more than the usual mindless vandalism.  I would hope that the police are taking this seriously.

[MtB]

11 hours ago, john6767 said:

There has to be something behind this, it is much more than the usual mindless vandalism.  I would hope that the police are taking this seriously.

 

I agree, and stand by my assertion in the other thread this is someone clever, resourceful, from an engineering background and having a major grudge against the waterways Someone sacked from CRT perhaps. Or someone who live close to the canal and has suffered at the hands of a criminal they believe to be a boater, perhaps. 

 

All casual speculation though. 

 

It does look to me as though the vandalism has an objective - to stop traffic on the canal.

[springy]

Went up the flight yesterday - no problems apart from some floating debris, however CRT_Lee twiitter feed today reports that the top lock was attacked again last night, gate collar removed & gate tipped, repaired again now

 

springy 

[BWM]

On 22/06/2018 at 20:20, john6767 said:

There has to be something behind this, it is much more than the usual mindless vandalism.  I would hope that the police are taking this seriously.

It definitely looks to be, I can't fathom out how dozens of officers can be found for footie matches, festivals and the like but historic infrastructure providing entertainment and more to many doesn't seem to be a priority. 

On 23/06/2018 at 07:52, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I agree, and stand by my assertion in the other thread this is someone clever, resourceful, from an engineering background and having a major grudge against the waterways Someone sacked from CRT perhaps. Or someone who live close to the canal and has suffered at the hands of a criminal they believe to be a boater, perhaps. 

 

All casual speculation though. 

 

It does look to me as though the vandalism has an objective - to stop traffic on the canal.

I totally agree with you, a hint at this was, to my mind, in the way that the chains, etc. that had been securing the paddle gear were left on the floor, trophy like. Any numb nutted vandal would have enjoyed the plop as they were thrown in.

Edited June 25, 2018 by BWM

[john6767]

Not noticed the stuff on Twitter but looked now.  This is insane, has this type of thing happened before anywhere?

[MtB]

10 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Not noticed the stuff on Twitter but looked now.  This is insane, has this type of thing happened before anywhere?

 

I think it has.  I’ve been getting deja vu all over again reading this thread. I think there was a thread here about a very similar series of vandalisms on the W21 a few years ago. 

[ditchcrawler]

12 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I think it has.  I’ve been getting deja vu all over again reading this thread. I think there was a thread here about a very similar series of vandalisms on the W21 a few years ago. 

Poolstock had the collar released

 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

4 hours ago, BWM said:

It definitely looks to be, I can't fathom out how dozens of officers can be found for footie matches, festivals and the like but historic infrastructure providing entertainment and more to many doesn't seem to be a priority. 

I totally agree with you, a hint at this was, to my mind, in the way that the chains, etc. that had been securing the paddle gear were left on the floor, trophy like. Any numb nutted vandal would have enjoyed the plop as they were thrown in.

That'd be because the clubs, festivals etc pay for them around the grounds and festivals on overtime outside of normal policing. You want CRT to fork out for a few officers? There is no longer a bottomless pit of available officers (there hasn't been for a while) so if some are delegated to watching a few locks it will mean that someone else wont be getting any cover. If the choice is going to be either to attend a domestic assault or walk up and down a flight of locks I have a feeling I know where most people's priorities are going to lie. And yes it will be an either/or decision, have you called the Police recently?

[jammin1620]

Travelled through rushall on sunday and came across some crt lads. One thing he did say was that they had caught one person for the damage on ryders green.. clearly not the right one or the main perpetrators as they are still at it. 

Myself and springy will be travelling ryders green first thing tomorrow. Just hope they don't hit again tonight. Or we're in for a the long slog back up to the cannock extension.

Hope they catch the Little sods soon. 

 

And hats off to crt for dealing with the damage promptly.