Vandalism hot spots.

[yabasayo]

I have read a few posts on here and elsewhere and seen a few youtube clips that refer to vandalism or places that are not safe to stay overnight.

Mention of mooring lines being cut, stones thrown at boats, theft and even a boat being set on fire.

Maybe this forum is a good place to identify such areas for the benefit of those who may pass by without the benefit of local knowledge ?

[Boater Sam]

Bricks thrown at Hurdsfield on the Macclesfield canal, boat fired, totally, at Marple junction. Yobs dropping off the foot bridge onto the boat whilst moving on Upper Peak Forest.

Boats "egged" at Middlewich branch end near Wardle canal.

[BWM]

Throughout Hayes and many areas of the slough arm have seen both vandalism and break ins.

[Alan de Enfield]

Stone throwing yoofs at Stoke on Trent.

Bricks thrown off the bridge  just before tunnel entrance (South end) Harecastle tunnel

[IanD]

One-off or rare unfortunate occurrences don't make for "vandalism hot-spots". There are undoubtedly bored and malicious yoof in many places on the country, some of which canals run through, but vandalism is pretty rare if you look at the number of boats out there -- it's just that when it happens the news now travels much faster and further than it used to and people get more wound up about it. I'm not saying some places aren't dodgier than others, just that people shouldn't panic about it.

 

I've been through most of the places mentioned several times and never been vandalised once, so that must prove vandalism doesn't exist ?

Edited October 22, 2018 by IanD

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, IanD said:

One-off or rare unfortunate occurrences don't make for "vandalism hot-spots".

Look at who the OP is.

Look at all the previous 'contentious' threads he has started and then never made a second post in them.

 

"Narrow boat prices are ridiculous"

"Never use a dry-powder extinguisher is a confined space"

"Canals are unpleasantly overcrowded"

 

Throws in the hand-grenade and walk away

 

Sooty & Sweep have nothing on him.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Alan de Enfield

[Movin' on]

I've been cruising for 53 years - the only vandalism was in my home village of Hopwas at the time and stoning in Stoke which is common place in the areas mentioned - the canal system is generally very good if you are reasonably streetwise and strive to fit in rather than confront.

 

As with all things these days there is too much hype both in the formal and social media highlighting the bad aspects of our society

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Sooty & Sweep have nothing on him.

Sooty has nothing on anyway....he's a bare!

[Athy]

10 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Look at who the OP is.

Look at all the previous 'contentious' threads he has started and then never made a second post in them.

 

"Narrow boat prices are ridiculous"

"Never use a dry-powder extinguisher is a confined space"

"Canals are unpleasantly overcrowded"

 

Throws in the hand-grenade and walk away

.

This is at least slightly unfair. I haven't seen the one about fire extinguishers, but the other two were good subjects for discussion. The "Overcrowded" one was in fact couched as a question, not a statement, and yes, he did make a further post in it.

 

That said, we haven't seen him for a week now.

[yabasayo]

19 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Look at who the OP is.

Look at all the previous 'contentious' threads he has started and then never made a second post in them.

 

"Narrow boat prices are ridiculous"

"Never use a dry-powder extinguisher is a confined space"

"Canals are unpleasantly overcrowded"

 

Throws in the hand-grenade and walk away

 

Sooty & Sweep have nothing on him.

If you find my posts interesting enough to quote, please do actually quote rather than modifying my text to suit your emotive attention seeking needs

[Tumshie]

25 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Throws in the hand-grenade and walk away

And also sounds slightly familiar - just saying ?

[Athy]

11 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

If you find my posts interesting enough to quote, please do actually quote rather than modifying my text to suit your emotive attention seeking needs

The remoulding of your actual words has been commented on (see post no.9). Welcome back anyway. 

[dmr]

Three months ago we went through Newton Heath and Failsworth and not a single stone was thrown at us, in fact some children even spoke nicely to us. Last year we were shot at when moored at one of the nicest mooring spots on the system!

 

...............Dave

[Dave123]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Stone throwing yoofs at Stoke on Trent.

Bricks thrown off the bridge  just before tunnel entrance (South end) Harecastle tunnel

Are you sure this wasn't the north end (the orange end?) Always considered the south portal one of the safe spots near Stoke (along with Westport lake)

[Arthur Marshall]

I've been here and there all over the system, up and down the Macc, through Hursdfield and up the Peak Forest via Marple, through Stoke dozens of times in the last thirty years and never had any trouble apart from ropes cut one night about ten years ago on the T&M just by the junction.  Had a sherbet lemon thrown at me in Chester about twenty years ago. I ate it.

The thing about vandalism is that there aren't really any hotspots any more.  Towns are always dodgier than the countryside but kids have other things to occupy themselves with these days.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Come on kids, get off your phones and go outside and break some windows. ?

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Halsey said:

I've been cruising for 53 years - the only vandalism was in my home village of Hopwas at the time and stoning in Stoke which is common place in the areas mentioned - the canal system is generally very good if you are reasonably streetwise and strive to fit in rather than confront.

 

As with all things these days there is too much hype both in the formal and social media highlighting the bad aspects of our society

Completely agree. There are no particular hot spots. We have been stoned only 3 times in nearly thirty years, once in Knottingley and twice in supposedly posh Thrupp on the south Oxford. Yes had the ropes let go a couple of times, last time being in Banbury a couple of years ago but hey ho its no big deal. If I moor on a river I tend to use chains and padlocks if there are people about.

[Ray T]

In the 1950's a man mooned at "my" narrowboat captains mother at bridge 10 Norton Junction so his dad got his air rifle out and shot his ar - errr bottom. I'd avoid Norton Junction. 

[PaulJ]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

Three months ago we went through Newton Heath and Failsworth and not a single stone was thrown at us, in fact some children even spoke nicely to us. Last year we were shot at when moored at one of the nicest mooring spots on the system!

 

...............Dave

I had a really peaceful nights sleep at Failsworth near the taxi office earlier this year too. I will admit  I did find the policewoman who knocked on the side of the boat to warn me a little worrying though ?

[dmr]

45 minutes ago, PaulJ said:

I had a really peaceful nights sleep at Failsworth near the taxi office earlier this year too. I will admit  I did find the policewoman who knocked on the side of the boat to warn me a little worrying though ?

I would not choose to spend a night there, though its not as bad as Newton Heath. A friend spent an unplanned night in Failsworth very recently due to an empty pound and a big prop foul and she had no trouble.

 

What did policewoman advise you to do ???? ?

 

..............Dave

[Graham Davis]

3 hours ago, yabasayo said:

I have read a few posts on here and elsewhere and seen a few youtube clips that refer to vandalism or places that are not safe to stay overnight.

Mention of mooring lines being cut, stones thrown at boats, theft and even a boat being set on fire.

Maybe this forum is a good place to identify such areas for the benefit of those who may pass by without the benefit of local knowledge ?

They are very few, not in any particular place, and very rare so stop worrying about it and get out there and actually use your boat!

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by Graham Davis

[PaulJ]

6 minutes ago, dmr said:

I would not choose to spend a night there, though its not as bad as Newton Heath. A friend spent an unplanned night in Failsworth very recently due to an empty pound and a big prop foul and she had no trouble.

 

What did policewoman advise you to do ???? ?

 

..............Dave

I must admit I didnt actually choose to spend the night there-I managed to miss where it was planned to stop (was travelling with another boat too) Judging by the locals they dont see many boats there for the night!

Police lady recommended I might want to move elsewhere (it was dusk) but failing that said she would let the station know I was there, to move closer to the taxi office and to ring if I had any trouble...

The only disturbance I got was from the taxi headlights and doors slamming throughout the night ?

 

[Gareth E]

In 5 years one youth found it fun to run along my roof at Adlington near Poynton on a hot summers day. Then another youth threw a brick at me from a bridge I'd just paddled under at High Lane in my kayak. That was on a freezing cold December day. He missed, but only just. That's it.

[doratheexplorer]

Problem with the internet is we all hear about things which happen to others, usually bad.  There are certain dodgy areas but it doesn't help to report them as more people stay away which makes them ever more dodgy.

 

Just use common sense, it's fairly easy to tell if an area is unsafe to moor:  Lots of bad graffitti, signs of vandalism, fly tipping, drug related litter, shady character hanging about under bridges. 

 

By the same token, it's best not to cruise through those areas on warm evenings.  Freezing monday mornings when it's sleeting is your best option.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

I would not choose to spend a night there, though its not as bad as Newton Heath. A friend spent an unplanned night in Failsworth very recently due to an empty pound and a big prop foul and she had no trouble.

 

What did policewoman advise you to do ???? ?

 

..............Dave

One of the first place we ran a pub was Failsworth!!  Never had a problem.