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SEPTEMBER 2008 |
 The
boat stolen from the Colwich area in early September has
now been recovered. |
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STOURBRIDGE
CANAL BREACHED A 20-metre section of the Stourbridge Canal –
connecting the Birmingham Canal Navigations with the Staffs & Worcester
Canal – blew out during the early hours of Sunday 7 September. Over two
mile of canal - including the section from Stourbridge Locks to the top
of Stourton Locks and the Stourbridge Town Arm – was dewatered and 65
mega litres of water lost. As it is a rural area, damage was localised
and most of the lost water ran into the River Stour. The length of canal
between Stourton and Stourbridge locks – severing this route from the
Staffs & Worcester Canal into Birmingham - is anticipated to remain
closed for a period of approximately 4 months, however, this timescale
may be revised. |
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ABC
LEISURE GROUP ACQUIRES BLACKWATER MEADOW MARINA at Ellesmere
on the busy Llangollen Canal - the most popular holiday cruising
waterway in Britain. As part of the deal the Group will also take over
the management of a number of ‘Canaltime’ hire and shared ownership
narrowboats located at this marina and two other current bases.
Blackwater Meadow is a modern development in a pretty rural location in
Shropshire’s ‘lakeland’, country with almost 100 moorings and a range of
services.
The company says that this is a notable development in ABC’s growth, ...
developing its status as the UK’s number one provider of boat
management, inland marinas and related waterways services. (*ABC News
release) |
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DROITWICH
BARGE LOCK RE-GATED New gates have been fitted to the Barge
Lock in Droitwich as part of its £100,000 restoration. The money has
been raised by an appeal by The Waterways Trust and IWA as part of the
£6 million Droitwich Canals Restoration scheme, re-creating route
between the Worcester & Birmingham Canal and the River Severn via
Droitwich.
The lock has been renovated by Waterway Recovery Group volunteers and
British Waterways staff and individual companies and associations in the
inland waterways industry have contributed towards the appeal which is
currently about £3,000 short of its target. There will be a ceremony
commemorating the lock’s completion on 29 September. Left - A gate
being lowered into the Droitwich Barge Lock. |
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MERCIA
MARINA OPERATIONAL The 585-berth Mercia Marina at Willington
near Derby on the Trent & Mersey Canal – one of the biggest new
developments on the canal network – is now operational. Over 200 berths
have already been booked, although only about 50 boats were in during
our visit because of the closure of the River Trent navigation due to
high water. Quite a number of owners appear to be re-locating from
moorings on the Trent. Wet weather has also delayed completion of some
of the surrounding infrastructure of the marina and the £60,000
tree-planting and landscaping scheme. Although the basin is basically a
huge expanse of water, the design groups pontoons in a number of bays
each near to their own service block; in effect creating more intimate
‘mini marinas’. |
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MCA
BOATMASTERS LICENCE EXEMPTIONS Following lobbying by IWA,
supported by BMF and others, agreement has been reached with the
Maritime & Coastguard Agency on alternatives to Tier 2 of the new
Boatmasters Licence - due to come into effect on 30 September -.
Waterway societies and small businesses operating small boats carrying
twelve or fewer passengers on inland waterways and small work boats
would have been seriously affected by the new rules.
Left Bywater Holiday Cruises, who operate horse-drawn holiday cruises
on the Montgomery Canal, is one of the businesses given an exemption
under the agreement. |
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AUGUST 2008 |
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MONTY
08 WELSHPOOL RALLY* - 'a shock to stand on the footbridge
over the canal in Welshpool town centre and find the canal basin full of
boats... colour and movement, fluttering flags, balloons, barking dogs
and smoking chimneys on water that is usually empty except for rubbish
and urban ducks' writes Tony Lewery
More.. |
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The
IWA 2008 NATIONAL FESTIVAL at
Autherley Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal attracted over
24,000 visitors over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The Festival had over 2 miles of moored boats plus lots of other
attractions and was intended to help to raise the profile of the
Black Country and attract tourism. |
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STRATFORD OVERNIGHT
STOPPAGES
In a plan to get ahead with the planned winter work programme on the
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal British Waterways West Midlands are to fit
new lock gates during overnight stoppages of the waterway. Extensive
and complex urgent repairs to locks structures was undertaken last
year and more will be done during the coming winter closure period
in November.
Tony Harvey, British Waterways West Midlands, General Manager said:
“By carrying out these gate replacement works ahead of the main
stoppage season, it will allow us to free up some extra time later
on in the year to complete some essential brickwork repairs that are
required on some other local locks." |
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FIRST NEW LOCK GATES
FITTED IN LIVERPOOL LINK
The first new lock gates in the Liverpool Canal Link project have
been installed. They are on the new Mann Island Lock – part of the
main Pier Head development - which will take boats from the link to
the Leeds & Liverpool Canal into Liverpool’s South Dock complex and
the famous Albert Dock tourist attraction.
Weighing up to 4 tonnes and almost 5 metres in height, the gates
were fabricated by local engineering company Twinbridge of Burscough
and fitted with paddles and winding gear by British Waterways
Stanley Ferry Workshop. Construction of the £20 million canal link
is nearing the final stages as the Pier Head engineering works are
almost complete with the Central Docks and Mann Island section
progressing well with an opening during Spring 2009 being forecast. |
THEFTS OF DIESEL FUEL
With the increasing cost of diesel fuel an increasing number of
thefts from the tanks of inland waterway craft are being reported,
particularly on the southern part of the Shropshire Union Canal but
also on the Kennet & Avon Canal and the River Trent.
Boat owners are being advised to fit locking devices to fuel filler
caps to prevent siphoning of fuel. |
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SEA OTTER
A new limited company is being formed to continue the manufacture
and servicing of Sea Otter aluminium boats. However it will revert
to concentrating on the original functions of the Staveley-based
boatbuilders – the building, maintaining and providing owner
services for purely trailable boats. Sea Otter had expanded into
building longer non-trailable narrowboats.
The new company will be run by Paul Hobson – a nephew of the company
founders Cindy and Ray Shepherd – and will employ just 12 of the
original staff and occupy one of the two existing buildings. |
GOOD
PROGRESS ON MON & BREC REPAIRS
Repairs to the bed of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal following the
major breach of October 2007 are making good progress and British
Waterways say that they are currently on target for the dry section
of the canal to be re-filled by December and fully reopened by March
2009. A short section of the canal towards the south end of the
works was reopened at the end of May, enabling some boats to move
back to their moorings. BW say that the current works – divided into
a number of contracts – are simply those necessary to get the
waterway reopened and that there would be a requirement for
further planned repairs in the future. |
WORK TO
CONTINUE ON COTSWOLD RESTORATION
Following British Waterways’ shock withdrawal from the Cotswold
Canals Partnership and the project to restore the section of the
canals from Stonehouse to Brimscombe, the Heritage Lottery Fund has
agreed to continue with its £11.9 million funding package
contribution to the scheme. Works can now go ahead with Stroud
District Council becoming the lead partners in the restoration,
working with the Cotswold Canals Trust and others. |
