The Sutton Stop story

[mayalld]

... apart from the fact that I cannot identify the idiot responsible!

 

This story has some overlap with the number two story (the water point one).

 

Coming back north on the Oxford, we arrive at Sutton Stop at 5pm. There seem to be a lot of boats on the water point/waiting area. The rearmost boat waves to us and shouts that the lock is broken. A nice chap on the LTM tells us that the end one is vacant at present, and suggests that we wait there, because "it could be all night"

 

So, we moor up, and join the throng of other boaters at the bottom gate, all bearing boat hooks.

 

The bottom gate won't shut, stopping a few inches short. BW have been told.

 

By 5:30 it is clear that there is something against the lower cill, and that it isn't moving. There are also about 10 boats each way waiting to go, and the lock just will not make a level, too much of a gap for the single top paddle to handle.

 

So, a comunal decision is taken. We will all phone BW, so that they get the idea that this needs early attention, preferably tonight.

 

The nice lady on 4799947, upon being told that the lock isn't working enquires whether the key has broken off in the lock, so I patiently explain!

 

Two guys from BW arrive at 7:30. One is clearly the "doing" man. The other the gopher. They make sterling efforts with poles and hooks and kebs to clear it, but it just won't shift. The lock will need to be pumped dry to expose the lower cill. The sop planks are on-site, but BW don't actually own any pumps these days, so it will have to wait until the hire shop opens in the morning. They are to return at 7:30 the following day to start erecting a safety fence.

 

The morning arrives, and the BW men with it, one of them is the "do-er" from last night. There is some good news. Apparently, we can get away without a safety fence.

 

The stop planks start going in. New planks, so rather more inclined to float than older planks, and it takes all 4 of the BW guys there sitting on them to get them down. Then disaster strikes, with the arrival of the BW manager. Work must stop, some people aren't wering life jackets, and we need orange net fencing here!

 

After a brief delay, the planks are in, and the pump arrives, big thing on the back of a flatbed. They start pumping, but it isn't going down fast, so much ash and turf is deployed to attempt to seal the planks. the level is now 6 inches below the lower level of the lock when the manager steps in again. By-standers are asked to move back from the lock for safety reasons (so, a fall 2 feet to 4 feet of water is too dangerous; how does he imagine we cope with locks when he isn't there).

 

After 2 hours of pumping, the level is down 18 inches, then suddenly fills up again. The planks are removed, reseated, and some plastic sheet used to provide a better seal. Still the pumps are making no real headway.

 

After another half hour, one of the waiting boaters enquires whether it might be something to do with the by-wash. BW manager assures him not - "we do know what we are doing"

 

After a further half hour, one of the BW guys goes to the by-wash weir, and closes the paddle. It turns out that there is a bypass paddle that lets a steady flow from the oxford into the coventry even when the weir isn't running, and that the outlet end of the by-wash enters between the lower gate and the lower stop plank grooves! THey have just spent 3 hours trying to pump Hilmorton to Hawkesbury dry!

 

The pumps start to take effect, and the water level comes down. Clearly somebody has told the manager to grow up, as he has given up with his elfin safety crusade against those nearby. When the water level is 2 feel deep, our BW do-er descends a ladder in waders, and delves into the murkey depths, and pulls out a log.

 

Not a random log, but a 5" diameter log neatly cut to 5" long. The cause of the stoppage has been somebody being careless with wood stored on the roof. One log falling in has caused a 20 hour stoppage. The log had fallen and sat end on, meaning that it was impossible to snag it with a keb.

 

The pumps are stopped, and refilling begun. The BW operative opens the by-wash paddle before the manager tells him that he is wasting water, and should fill the lock with its own paddle (yes, I know, I know), and the first boat moves through at 1pm

 

So, if you keep wood on your roof, please try to keep it under control!

[churchward]

Interesting story and a good point about loose logs. It also goes to show how the BW "do-ers" being spread very thin have lost local knowledge of how a particular lock works. If they had this local knowledge they would have got the job done in at least half the time by the sound of it even with the H&S jobsworth.

[mayalld]

Interesting story and a good point about loose logs. It also goes to show how the BW "do-ers" being spread very thin have lost local knowledge of how a particular lock works. If they had this local knowledge they would have got the job done in at least half the time by the sound of it even with the H&S jobsworth.

 

to be fair, if whoever dropped the log had stopped and said "I dropped a log", the thing would have been sorted in half an hour.

 

knowing what it was would have given us the knowledge to try speaing it with the point of a BH from above

[RLWP]

I have taken a similar log out from between a gate and cill on the Stratford. It came out by standing on the bow of our boat, borrowing the boat hook from the hire boat in the lock and spearing the log with the pointed end. Total stoppage time 20minutes.

 

Richard

 

I always though wood floated, but clearly no-one told the log.

[WotEver]

The nice lady on 4799947, upon being told that the lock isn't working enquires whether the key has broken off in the lock...

 

[mayalld]

I have taken a similar log out from between a gate and cill on the Stratford. It came out by standing on the bow of our boat, borrowing the boat hook from the hire boat in the lock and spearing the log with the pointed end. Total stoppage time 20minutes.

 

Richard

 

I always though wood floated, but clearly no-one told the log.

 

Quite!

[MartinClark]

The nice lady on 4799947, upon being told that the lock isn't working enquires whether the key has broken off in the lock...

 

Makes you wonder whether some of the people who work in BW offices actually know what a lock is!

[mayalld]

 

Makes you wonder whether some of the people who work in BW offices actually know what a lock is!

 

Of course, the 4799947 number is contracted out (to West Midlands Ambulance Service I believe), and is consequently answered by people who may have even less idea about canals than BW management.

[bottle]

Of course, the 4799947 number is contracted out (to West Midlands Ambulance Service I believe), and is consequently answered by people who may have even less idea about canals than BW management.

 

Is that possible.

[debbifiggy]

Is that possible.

Oooh you are awful but I still like you.

 

Yes it is possible as rightly stated the emergency number out of hours goes to West Mids Ambulance unless filtered out as a non urgent call and you would not believe some of the non urgent stuff they have to deal with that would have been better dealt with by watford customer service team during normal 8 - 6pm hours.

 

I know sometimes as a boater it can be frustrating but most of the calls are actually dealt with afaik pretty well in difficult circumstances and get through to people who can sort it out. If you know different let us know what, how and when and maybe it can be improved?

 

For all of our sakes?

D

[ditchcrawler]

Oooh you are awful but I still like you.

 

Yes it is possible as rightly stated the emergency number out of hours goes to West Mids Ambulance unless filtered out as a non urgent call and you would not believe some of the non urgent stuff they have to deal with that would have been better dealt with by watford customer service team during normal 8 - 6pm hours.

 

I know sometimes as a boater it can be frustrating but most of the calls are actually dealt with afaik pretty well in difficult circumstances and get through to people who can sort it out. If you know different let us know what, how and when and maybe it can be improved?

 

For all of our sakes?

D

I have rung this number a couple of times and yes you have to spell it out, not easy in my case because if you ask me I can't even spell names I know. However, in every case I have had a BW supervisor/duty manager ring me back in well under a hour

[gary4lw]

to be fair, if whoever dropped the log had stopped and said "I dropped a log", And i would give it ten minutes if I were you.

[sueb]

If the log had sunk, surely it had been in the canal awhile?

Sue

[Hobbler]

Someone lost a bag of logs off their boat at the top of Foxton Locks . We found it whilst winding the boat and our engine stopped dead as one of the logs had got jammed between the prop and the skeg .It took a couple of hours to clear the log , remains of the bag and the baler twine with which the bag had been tied . Throughout the excercise other logs would regularly surface around us .

 

I wasnt best pleased !

[Smelly]

to be fair, if whoever dropped the log had stopped and said "I dropped a log", And i would give it ten minutes if I were you.

 

[mayalld]

If the log had sunk, surely it had been in the canal awhile?

Sue

 

It would seem not.

 

It seems that it doesn't require long term soaking in the canal to make wood sink.

 

Logs cut from the dense end of the tree, and left to soak up a good dose of rainwater wll sink like a stone.