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Ashton Canal closure


Hudds Lad

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Notice Alert

Ashton Canal
Starts At: Lock 16, Edge Lane
Ends At: Lock 16, Edge Lane

Tuesday 19 September 2017 17:30 until further notice

Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Structure failure


 

Original message:

 

Due to both paddle failing at lock 16 we have had to close the canal.

Moorings are available below lock 1 and above lock 18.

We understand that this closure may disrupt your schedule. We are taking every step to fix the problem as soon as possible and we will keep you updated of our progress tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/11583/ashton-canal-lock-16

You can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices

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The offside ground paddle at lock 16  has been leaking badly for most of this year  wasting water and has  not been repaired. So, a failure of the other ground  paddle , if that's what it is ,shuts the canal. The expression "fire fighting" comes to mind. No routine maintenance, no fixing minor problems  as they occur, just wait till it's a major incident and costs a fortune  to fix, causes maximum disruption to boating ,in particular hire boats, and ruins folk's holidays. Still, it doesn't matter much here 'cos the "Cheshire Ring" is stopped at Marple anyway by a serious problem that has been developing for years , not suddenly a couple of weekends ago.

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4 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

How about a "well done CRT" for once?

Because it isn't a "well done" ! As I pointed out in an earlier post , one of the paddles at 16 has been seriously leaking for most of this year- should have been fixed months ago. But no, they go on a wing and a prayer with one operational paddle and when that fails the canal is closed with no notice. I would be interested to know if a similar problem on say,the Shropshire Union at Audlem would be dealt with in the same tardy manner. I suspect not.Please note that the Ashton was shut for nearly a week ,about a fortnight ago- busted cill at Lock 9. How can anyone plan a holiday on the canal system when all this is going on?

There are instances where a "well done CRT" is justified- this isn't one of them

Yes, it's a RANT, I'm entitled to it!

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5 minutes ago, billh said:

Because it isn't a "well done" ! As I pointed out in an earlier post , one of the paddles at 16 has been seriously leaking for most of this year- should have been fixed months ago. But no, they go on a wing and a prayer with one operational paddle and when that fails the canal is closed with no notice. I would be interested to know if a similar problem on say,the Shropshire Union at Audlem would be dealt with in the same tardy manner. I suspect not.Please note that the Ashton was shut for nearly a week ,about a fortnight ago- busted cill at Lock 9. How can anyone plan a holiday on the canal system when all this is going on?

There are instances where a "well done CRT" is justified- this isn't one of them

Yes, it's a RANT, I'm entitled to it!

Trouble is you are of course right to be miffed but there doesn't seem to be enough money in the kitty to repair the infrastructure like there was in the past. We seem to pay more in wages to someone in an office job shuffling paper and answering telefones than we do to people who actualy fix stuff. Perhaps diverting money away from admin posts to maintainance jobs would be beneficial? I do however think CART are generaly doing a good job.

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39 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

If you think that the Ashton is being unfairly treated, you need to get out more. :D

Tried getting out more , that's proving  to be a complete and potentially expensive  farce thanks to C&RT, full back story to be revealed in due course.......

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It is strange though how certain areas are in a right state, and others are not..

 

I have not travelled much, mainly on the coventry, ashby, north oxford, but have been through brum upto haywood and also down to oxford.

The state of the oxford locks are shocking, is it a busier area though than say the coventry through Atherstone, because the atherstone flight i dont believe i have ever seen a broken lock.. ok no locks on the ashby so you cant really compare, but the locks from fradley upto stafford from memory were also in decent condition.

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9 hours ago, billh said:

Tried getting out more , that's proving  to be a complete and potentially expensive  farce thanks to C&RT, full back story to be revealed in due course.......

If you wish to rant then I suggest that you give us the full story, instead of paltry little bits of the story. 
The Ashton connects to the Rochdale which connects to the Bridgwater, which then connects to either the Leeds and Liverpool or the Trent and Mersey, none of which appear to be closed or liable for any extra expense.

As has been said, you need to get out more!

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5 hours ago, Graham Davis said:

If you wish to rant then I suggest that you give us the full story, instead of paltry little bits of the story. 
The Ashton connects to the Rochdale which connects to the Bridgwater, which then connects to either the Leeds and Liverpool or the Trent and Mersey, none of which appear to be closed or liable for any extra expense.

As has been said, you need to get out more!

Well, the Ashton may well connect to all those canals, but that is only of use if the Ashton canal itself is open and working well.

All boats that moor on the Ashton canal moor on the top pound of the canal, so if any one of the 18 locks is out of action, access to the canals you list is tricky. If Marple Locks happen to be closed as well (which they are), those moored on the Ashton are seriously limited in terms of "getting out".

Marple Aqueduct is a nice trip, but you can do it there and back in the day, so the only way left is the Huddersfield Narrow.

 

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And after bringing one boat right round the Cheshire ring to get from Marple to Ashton, a mere eighty odd miles and seventy odd locks, dodging between the Ashton being closed for a damaged cill and broken paddle gear I know what BillH is getting at. 

If you were at Norbury Junction and a lock failed at Tyrley, and you set off round the four counties to get back to Market Drayton, you would be pretty miffed if there was then a closure at Audlem. How long would CRT leave the Shroppie closed. And there have been two closures of the Ashton in this short time

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The Ashton isn't as popular a canal (in terms of numbers) as others that have been mentioned in this thread. Therefore, rightly or wrongly, it clearly won't be viewed as high a priority to reopen quickly, compared to busier canals.

Perhaps BWB of the 60s should take the blame, for removing the top gate paddles on these locks and so relying solely on ground paddles.

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2 hours ago, Philip said:

The Ashton isn't as popular a canal (in terms of numbers) as others that have been mentioned in this thread. Therefore, rightly or wrongly, it clearly won't be viewed as high a priority to reopen quickly, compared to busier canals.

Perhaps BWB of the 60s should take the blame, for removing the top gate paddles on these locks and so relying solely on ground paddles.

Therein lies the problem. Instead of looking after the system on a needs basis, look after the system on the basis of a popularity contest and sod the people who rely on the rest of the system

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