Tony Haynes has (elsewhere) expressed alarm at Surrey County Council wanting to close the Deepcut Flight of locks, on the Basingstoke Canal, for "health and safety" reasons, rather than find the money to improve the state of the flight.
Tony notices that part of the current Save Our Waterways strategy is to highlight structural problems. He wonders whether this could result in further closures due to Health and Safety when funding is not there to fix the problem immediately?
Tony asks whether anyone has seen Health and Safety given as a reason for closure or unnecessary restriction on any waterway.
Your views welcome.....
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This blog accompanies the campaigning website SaveOurWaterways.org
Please visit the site to find out more about the issues involved and how you can help.
Please visit the site to find out more about the issues involved and how you can help.
3 comments:
(originally posted 28th Dec)
The towpath through Netherton Tunnel was closed for Health and Safety reasons. The eastern side has re-opened after repairs but, as far as I know, the western side is still closed.
originally posted 30th Dec
There is of course a risk that H&S issues could close a waterway. I suppose that our policy of highlighting such H&S issues does therefore make the risk of closure higher.
However, a closed waterway would also highlight the fact that BW is inadequately funded and perhaps that will make them see sense.
The amout of money needed is peanuts in Government terms. BW estmate that they need £125 million per annum to properly maintain the waterways; they have acccess to £100 million and that £25 million/per annum is hardly a sum that will break Government finances.
One doesn’t need many more breaches like the Mon & Brec to make £25 million/pa a good investment.
originally posted 9th March
Lets not forget the plight of the EA who have no alternative means of income except for boat registrations and a proportion of total EA grant-in-aid. Their situation is worse with boat registration costs set to treble and more by 2020.
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