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YAY !!! It isn’t much but it’s better than the usual lack of maintenance !

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-66961649 Lift bridges on the Oxford canal are going to be upgraded ! It’s nice to be able to report something positive for a change, unfortunately we’re only talking about four bridges which is a bit like a proverbial drop in the ocean but hey, credit where credit is due eh? CRT are of course blowing their own trumpet about the project…  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/lb650000-lift-for-iconic-oxford-canal-bridges but I guess that’s to be expected as they’re splashing out £650,000 on the project. However, work on Chisnell lift bridge (no.193) has been funded by “support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery“, which has donated over £16 million so far to “a range of important waterway and wellbeing projects”. The project will see the bridges fitted with hydraulic winding gear in order to upgrade them and… Read More »YAY !!! It isn’t much but it’s better than the usual lack of maintenance !

Wet Wigan

Trust finally pledges to plug Wigan canal leak that has swamped footpath for years https://www.wigantoday.net/news/environment/trust-finally-pledges-to-plug-wigan-canal-leak-that-has-swamped-footpath-for-years-4352652 After four years of claiming that responsibility for a flooded footpath lay with a local land owner CRT have finally admitted that in fact the  stagnant water flooding the footpath is from the adjacent canal, and is actually CRT’s responsibility. A spokesperson for Canal and River Trust, ignoring the fact of CRT’s denial of responsibility for four years said: “We are grateful this issue has been brought to our attention.” The trust has now promised to carry out repairs, although it is with the caveat “when time and resources allow.” so basically, don’t expect it to happen any time soon ! As usual, CRT are bleating about 250 year old infrastructure and lack of funds… Read More »Wet Wigan

More From Nantwich

Last week while walking the towpath I was rather surprised to see workboats on hire from Rothen Group dredging at bridge 92 and a few days later on friday at bridge 91. Speaking to the crew I was informed that they were dredging specifically in order to free up the two ‘stop gates’ because they were badly silted up and unuseable. It seems that CRT have finally decided that it is time to do something about the towpath side embankment which has been moving ‘sideways’ for several years now. Also along the embankment on friday were a survey crew with a theodolite who were measuring the movement of marker studs placed into the towpath tarmac. They informed me that this is now a fortnightly duty for them and I’m not… Read More »More From Nantwich

Life is better in Nantwich !

Approximately a three quarters of a mile stretch of towpath = 30 blue signs  Now multiply that by 2000 miles of canal and think of how much money they could be wasting ! With thanks to ‘OldSinky’ for sending the photos for this gallery.

Duty of Care

Post contributed via Email from Horatio Hornyblower Canal River Trust has a ‘Duty Of Care’ to the boating community. Unfortunately, it seems to be pursuing some policies and practices which appear to be specifically targeted at the boat dwelling Itinerant Traveller community known as ‘Continuous Cruisers’ as well as affecting the wider boating fraternity. Policies which could well be seen as contravening both the guidelines laid down and possibly the law. According to the information on the NEVO website, “Under common law (sometimes called case law), charities also have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to anyone who has a ‘relationship of proximity’ with them.” and the government’s own guidance for charity trustees clearly states the following specific instances from the duties and responsibilities laid… Read More »Duty of Care

Wellbeing and Mental Health

Mine is suffering, there’s no doubt about it ! The stress and pressure has been increasing over the past few years and it is definitely due to the recent policies and agenda of CRT. I moved onto the canals following some years of stress related illness, primarily depression and over a period of time gradually it improved. Living at a slower pace in a place of tranquil quiet for a number of years slowly allowed me to come to terms with the damage to my mental health and I began to heal. I began to recognise the ‘triggers’ which brought on my depression and was able to manage my life in such a way that I was able to distance myself from them and even avoid them completely sometimes. The… Read More »Wellbeing and Mental Health

Please print and share

License-hikes-Sept-2023 CRT have been putting up our licence fees over the last two years and they plan to further increase this over the next five years. Our licences went up 8% last year, 9% this year, and they plan to put them up another 14% on that already vastly inflated figure next year. That is a staggering increase of a third (34% compounded increase) in just three years, with further increases planned. All of this in the midst of what the government calls a ‘cost of living crisis’ ! Please print and share, thankyou.

Can’t Repair Taps ?

Just one example of CRT ‘maintenance ! It isn’t a great photo I’ll admit but it is an example of what CRT think ‘maintenance’ looks like ! Unfortunately this type of bodge is only too common, it is a small thing but all the small things soon add up and before long there’s a whole load of half fixed, bodged up, unsolved maintenance issues all around the system. Submit your photos to boaters@continuouscruiser.com

CRT licence charges

The changes proposed by Canal River Trust to the licensing structure where “continual cruisers” will not only pay an above inflation increase for the next 5 years on the “standard” license fee but also an annual surcharge are just one more attack on continuous cruisers ! This proposed increase and the surcharge are being justified on the flawed basis that we, the continuous cruisers, use more of the system and facilities than boats with a mooring ! According to CRT’s figures there are 5,000 continual cruisers against a total licensed boating community of 33,000. Most boats that come out of their moorings each year tend to cover far greater distances over the year and at higher speeds than a plodding itinerant boater ! At this time of austerity and in… Read More »CRT licence charges