Burscough Shower Block

[GRPCruiserman]

Went for a walk yesterday around the top lock at Burscough (Rufford Arm) as I have mny happy memories of going on holiday after Ribble Link campaign cruises in the 1990s and passing through there. It was usually the first shower after the weekend in Preston Dock and was always immaculately kept by the lock keeper, the cleanest I'd ever seen. He was always so friendly and sometimes helped with the locks, travelling between on his motorbike.

 

I got there yesterday, and they are now closed!! All three doors, shower, toilet, and toilet emptying no longer available, only the water point still there. Everything padlocked with a pathetic apology letter telling you to use the other sanitary station which has no shower. (and it's half an hour away in the wrong direction if you're away on holiday).

 

Prior to going to Burscough, myself and my family fancied eating our butties on the car park at Appley Bridge near Wigan overlooking the canal, somewhere again we'd not been for a while, but again, it's been closed!! We werw forced to park down the little private road opposite where the houses are. The gates fitted and locked to the car park must have cost BW a fair bit to fit for no apparent reason. Perhaps they don't want people to visit the canal there any more.

 

They are asking for more money, but removing showers and closing car parks, spending MORE money to fit gates in order to do so.

 

Glad again I got rid of the boat, with the new marina opening up along this length soon, you'd think facilities would improve not get worse.

 

Shame Eugene doesn't work at BW any more or I'd complain to him, HE got things done. If I complained now, I'd just get some jobsworth pen pusher who didn't even know what a boat wa coming up with some lame excuse.

 

The locks looked a bit worse than usual as well so far as maintainence goes, could do with a coat of paint.

 

Pay more get less, what a great advert for Britain's canal system.

[Ben2542]

I agree GRP man, it's a disgrace that the facilities at Burscough have been closed, especially (as you say) when there's talk of major expansion of marinas in the area (eg approval recently granted I believe for a 200+ marina at Scarisbrick). Presumably BW think that the growth in private marinas means that public facilities can be cut back ... and I suppose therefore we might face more closures in this area.

 

Ben

[RichardH]

Does anyone remember the heavily loaded survey a couple of years back which had questions along the lines of:

 

'If there were more marinas providing facilities and BW could spend more on other things would you be happy'

 

The pump out situation is dire on that stretch of the L&L. Wigan is now closed although there is one if you want to pop up 21 locks. After that it is a pootle up the Rufford branch to the newish sani stn (which to be fair is very nice)

[Jim Lae]

Does anyone remember the heavily loaded survey a couple of years back which had questions along the lines of:

 

'If there were more marinas providing facilities and BW could spend more on other things would you be happy'

 

The pump out situation is dire on that stretch of the L&L. Wigan is now closed although there is one if you want to pop up 21 locks. After that it is a pootle up the Rufford branch to the newish sani stn (which to be fair is very nice)

 

Not just Pump Out , Rubbish Disposal . After leaving Anderton on the T&M your next Rubbish

Disposal is the Picnic Site near Ring of Bells ( One Skip usually overflowing ) . Unless like some people you dump it at Wigan

Elsan Point . Marvelous they build some very nice offices for BW in the centre of Wigan plus

I believe two moorings but no place for your refuse . According to Waterscrape the reason for

the closure of the Showers etc at Burscough was due to the high cost of maintenance , full blurb

is in the Winter Closures .

[gaggle]

spent 5 hours on saturday waiting to get on the waterpoint at burscough bridge but had to go back on sunday to fill up and sort the elsan.

the closure of top lock facilities because of the high yearly cost may be justified but how much would it cost to put extra taps and elsan adjacent to them that exist at the bridge , these ones are connected to the main sewers and the twenty grand saved for one years maintenence would pay for taps, elsan and shower block at the bridge.

its not as if they dont have the space , the buildings adjacent ,bw owned have been empty for years , with bw refusing to sell them.

[GRPCruiserman]

spent 5 hours on saturday waiting to get on the waterpoint at burscough bridge but had to go back on sunday to fill up and sort the elsan.

the closure of top lock facilities because of the high yearly cost may be justified but how much would it cost to put extra taps and elsan adjacent to them that exist at the bridge , these ones are connected to the main sewers and the twenty grand saved for one years maintenence would pay for taps, elsan and shower block at the bridge.

its not as if they dont have the space , the buildings adjacent ,bw owned have been empty for years , with bw refusing to sell them.

 

Don't forget we've lost the only shower on that pound, it's a long way by boat in time terms to 'nip' down to Rufford, and the next nearest shower is on The Bridgewater near Lymm (not BW). Perhaps BW want Shiney Narrowboaters who have showers on their boats, or perhaps this is a swing towards leaving GRP cruiser owners in a mucky state with a view to showing their appearance in a bad light, ie as scruffy individuals. There are also potential cruiser owners who may be put off if they can't have a regular shower.

 

Perhaps it's too late for an objection to the marina to be put in unless non marina owners are allowed to use the facilities.

 

At Glasson Marina (BW owned) and Galgate Marina (BW owned) and White Bear Marina (BW owned) you can only use the showers if you moor there, although at Galgate there is a 'Public' BW key shower nearby, and there are still many GRP boats on the Burscough pound. Perhaps BW are trying to get rid of them.

 

Burscough top lock were always the cleanest anywhere, has the lock keeper been made redundant now? Perhaps if they got rid of him that's why they cant provide the facility any more.

 

It must be the only industry where you pay more and expect diminishing facilities apart from perhaps motoring.

 

As for the car park at Appley Bridge, that's active discouragement of use of the canal by walkers, fishermen, and the gates must have cost a few hundred pounds, that would have maintained the sanitary station for a while.

[gaggle]

the top lock of rufford facilities are not connected to the sewer system and bw said they closed them because it was costing 20 grand plus per year to service them.

thats why i say the 20 grand could have been used to put new showers ect at existing facilities at burscough bridge which is connected to sewers.

this should /could have been done before they shut the top lock ones.

[GRPCruiserman]

the top lock of rufford facilities are not connected to the sewer system and bw said they closed them because it was costing 20 grand plus per year to service them.

thats why i say the 20 grand could have been used to put new showers ect at existing facilities at burscough bridge which is connected to sewers.

this should /could have been done before they shut the top lock ones.

 

Seems wierd, my Dad has a septic tank and he only pays about £100 when it needs 'servicing'. Don't know where they get £20000 from, unless that's the lock keepers' wages??

[gaggle]

the full reasoning behing bw decision is published , somewhere , i think on this site but i would have seen it posted at the location as well.

[CanalWalker]

I can understand the pracitcal and fincial reasons for closing these facilities but I dont see why they have them in Litherland (I have never seen a boat there), and with the massive marinas at Rufford, the new marina at Scarisbrick and the new dock link opening soon in Liverpool, surely there should be some decent facilities between Liverpool and Wigan.

[GRPCruiserman]

I can understand the pracitcal and fincial reasons for closing these facilities but I dont see why they have them in Litherland (I have never seen a boat there), and with the massive marinas at Rufford, the new marina at Scarisbrick and the new dock link opening soon in Liverpool, surely there should be some decent facilities between Liverpool and Wigan.

 

The problem is that Marinas seldom let you use their showers, and the shower at Burscough top lock was the bst and only one on that pound in the area. I have used it a lot.

[gaggle]

adjacent to the facilities at litherland they have now started preparing for the build on the new tesco superstore.

only water and a toilet there anyway really although the drain cover can be removed and the manhole used as an elsan point.

past litherland at carolina street wharf was an ideal place for facilities but bw have threw in with sefton council to offer the site in tandem with two other plots for development.

bw local staff have put the case that the wharf is the last place for bw to operate from down that end. to no avail it would seem.

the mayor of sefton council ,john walker and his wife have recently been sent to prison for defrauding the department of work and pensions , an executive of the council and a local councillor are at the moment being investigated by the standards commitee and i for one am wondering why the hell bw have climbed into bed with such a bunch as sefton council.

 

edit to add

 

i have asked bw about mooring at litherland and was told they are not allocating any at this time , i later learned that on the offside where the moorings and facilities are adjacent to the new tesco store , a towpath will be created so residents of all the new properties can have access to the store canalside , that is not a plan mr powell that is just a proposal.

so will the basic facilities even be staying at litherland.

Edited January 12, 2008 by gaggle

[gaggle]

i have not seen any proper bw advice to boaters informing them that the facilities at burscough bridge now have a rubbish disposal point (about 10 household size wheelie bins) in the space behind the door adjacent to elsan.

bw key to access , this means boats visiting the area no longer need to leave rubbish in bin bags next to council litter bin for the local pot smokers to throw in the waterway.

toilet and elsan have been renovated with new steel door frames for security and the place has had a good cleaning before being re-painted.

wonder if the shower that was closed at the top off rufford is to be relocated to this block as well.

[GRPCruiserman]

i have not seen any proper bw advice to boaters informing them that the facilities at burscough bridge now have a rubbish disposal point (about 10 household size wheelie bins) in the space behind the door adjacent to elsan.

bw key to access , this means boats visiting the area no longer need to leave rubbish in bin bags next to council litter bin for the local pot smokers to throw in the waterway.

toilet and elsan have been renovated with new steel door frames for security and the place has had a good cleaning before being re-painted.

wonder if the shower that was closed at the top off rufford is to be relocated to this block as well.

 

The trouble is if you are travelling from The Lancaster (or places nearer) and need a shower on your way on holiday (as I and my wife always did at this point) it's a bit 'the wrong way' just to get one, and if you're heading south the next shower is just before Lymm. Plus it's good to stay overnight where you shower, and it's a lovely spot at the top of the Rufford arm, especially just the other side of the first swing bridge towards Ring'O'Bells and Wigan, well within walking distance of the shower, whereas Burscough centre is not nearly as pleasant.

 

Personally I would have preffered the facility at the top of the locks to be refurbished and for Burscough centre to be closed.

 

Perhaps there is a financial motive, and we will see the facility sold off and turned in to a tea shop or something. (It happened at Bingley five rise, but at least the sanitary facility and shower was retained.)

[CanalWalker]

I'd like them to do something with the LLCCo depot at Burscough Bridge, it would be a shame to lose the buildings. A cafe/shop/museum/BW place would be nice.

[gaggle]

i can understand they had to close the shower and toilet if it was not connected to the mains sewer system , they said it was costing twenty grand a year.

we now have the problem of people self pumping out their waste tanks into the elsan or worse into the drain below the water tap which is causing blockage and overflow of the elsan.

redstar you are right this building is wasted , i tried to find out about buying it and was informed bw would not sell it , indeed the estate agents had been told to stop all advertising about it.

last year some bw staff said they would no longer be making use of the buildings or the yard but he had no idea what would happen at the site.

i cant see that bw will allow anything that will cause lack of visitors to the new marina,s planned further down at the red lion ect.

scaffold has been put up on the building that abuts the main road and i think the house has changed owner/tenants.

 

edit to add

 

offside moorings at slipway and windwill are having works done on them "pathways to access boats" so bw can state they are spending in the area.

Edited February 13, 2008 by gaggle

[GRPCruiserman]

i can understand they had to close the shower and toilet if it was not connected to the mains sewer system , they said it was costing twenty grand a year.

we now have the problem of people self pumping out their waste tanks into the elsan or worse into the drain below the water tap which is causing blockage and overflow of the elsan.

redstar you are right this building is wasted , i tried to find out about buying it and was informed bw would not sell it , indeed the estate agents had been told to stop all advertising about it.

last year some bw staff said they would no longer be making use of the buildings or the yard but he had no idea what would happen at the site.

i cant see that bw will allow anything that will cause lack of visitors to the new marina,s planned further down at the red lion ect.

scaffold has been put up on the building that abuts the main road and i think the house has changed owner/tenants.

 

edit to add

 

offside moorings at slipway and windwill are having works done on them "pathways to access boats" so bw can state they are spending in the area.

 

Aye, spending in the area to put the mooring fees up.

 

Hope we don't loose the slipway, I've used it before now, it's the only one on that stretch, the pub charged a fiver. Don't think we could really, as it is the pub's I think, not BW's.