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Vandalism on The Walsall Canal


Alan de Enfield

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12 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Strange thing though isn't it, beacuse if your intention was vandalism plain and simple, you would want to do it as quickly as possible, and care little about the smoothness or straightness of the cut.

I think if I marked the entire thing up carefully with a set square and ruler, and really took my time over it I probably wouldn't be that accurate or neat!

I must admit if I was in the market for a mud troll I would be tempted to give whoever did this a trial, a lot of work for pure vandalism

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1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

Strange thing though isn't it, beacuse if your intention was vandalism plain and simple, you would want to do it as quickly as possible, and care little about the smoothness or straightness of the cut.

I think if I marked the entire thing up carefully with a set square and ruler, and really took my time over it I probably wouldn't be that accurate or neat!

I suspect there is something more complicated going on here. Perhaps someone with a grudge rather than mindless vandalism

Richard

Edited by RLWP
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10 hours ago, RLWP said:

I suspect there is something more complicated going on here. Perhaps someone with a grudge rather than mindless vandalism

Richard

If the beams were some of the ones with "poetry" on, it might be easier to understand!

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The same thing was happening years ago on the Chesterfield canal. As locks were restored around Turnerwood all the balance beams were chain sawed off overnight. Large coping stones also mysteriously dropped off newly restored bridges.. It turned out to be nothing to do with kids but some arse who'd bought a large canalside property never expecting 'his' bit of canal to ever be used again. 

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9 minutes ago, dor said:

Going by the picture in this link:   http://brownhillsbob.tumblr.com/post/163271122368/july-21st-at-birchills-on-the-walsall-canal-an#_=_

I would say it was a decent chainsaw.  Click the image to enlarge it.

I've cut through 2 ft diameter hardwood tree with a pro chainsaw in seconds and left a clean cut.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DF0Pcb6XkAAkOAS.jpg

 

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20 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Why do people immediately jump to such conclusions? Have the Police revealed the age of the two people aprehended? I seem to remember that when this was happening on the Rochdale some few years ago, the Culprit turned out to be a local Farmer who had some grudges against BW and the Rochdale Canal Society.

Yes, the access road to the farm came under the motorway, it was the only rote today out the canal through, so they put a new bridge in for the farmer. As well as sawing off the lock beams he also attacked a low embankment/retaining mound with a JCB and let a pound drain .

The lock beams were repaired with a welded steel sleeve, still there today.

Edited by Jim Riley
Because I can!
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"WHAT seems like a senseless act of vandalism, the new lock balance beam replacing the one sawn off one on the Walsall Canal has also been sawn off and taken.

It was last week that the lock balance beam of Lock 1 of the flight of locks on the Walsall Canal was sawn off, preventing navigation, Keith Gudgin tells us."

Vanadalised it may be but with a length of rope on the heel post and a decent shaft between the upstands of the handrail passage would not be a problem.

However why you should want to go to Walsall would be another matter, having been a resident of said borough for some many years the term "Avoid like the plague" springs to mind!

Edited by Laurence Hogg
  • Greenie 1
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Well another reason to avoid Walsall! Lightening strikes in the same place twice!!!

"Published: Friday, 28 July 2017

WHAT seems like a senseless act of vandalism, the new lock balance beam replacing the one sawn off one on the Walsall Canal has also been sawn off and taken.

It was last week that the lock balance beam of Lock 1 of the flight of locks on the Walsall Canal was sawn off, preventing navigation, Keith Gudgin tells us.

During the night

Though Canal & River Trust quickly replaced the beam, it was discovered this morning that this balance beam too has been sawn off and taken away sometime during the night.

Being so heavy, this is obviously not children vandalising the lock, but adults seeming wanting the timber.

A quandary

This means that again the navigation has to be closed, leaving the Trust in a quandary as to replacing the beam yet again."

 

 

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13 minutes ago, RLWP said:

There are two threads running on this: 

 

Richard

I reported that to the mods yesterday, but no action was taken to merge. At the time there were only three posts on the duplicate thread.

Edited by David Schweizer
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3 hours ago, dor said:

Going by the picture in this link:   http://brownhillsbob.tumblr.com/post/163271122368/july-21st-at-birchills-on-the-walsall-canal-an#_=_

I would say it was a decent chainsaw.  Click the image to enlarge it.

I've cut through 2 ft diameter hardwood tree with a pro chainsaw in seconds and left a clean cut.

Only 2ft :)

Saw dust is too fine to be a chainsaw

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2 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Only 2ft :)

Saw dust is too fine to be a chainsaw

Well I was only an amateur!  I corrected my impression above after seeing the pic with the sawn-off piece held up to the stump.

  • Greenie 1
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The reasons for the damage may well have been through persons choosing to stop boats passing, which needs further investigation. The methods of how it was done is perhaps secondary to prevention and beams reinforced by steel bars may well be a deterrent. Hopefully those responsible and apprehended  will give the reasons for their actions. I too have heard of an assault and the most worrying aspect is that those responsible want to restrict access to this area. 

Edited by Heartland
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Laurence Hogg has often commented on the Walsall Canal and the extension canal to Birchills, yet despite this view boaters still want to use this canal and it is important to encourage them, especially as the Bradley Canal moves closer to being a reality.  

Attached is an image (from the 1970's of a young Michael Oxley, taking his new boat up the locks to Birchills (RCHS Michael Oxley Print Collection)  

 

92630.jpg

  • Greenie 2
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