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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 9:43:13 GMT
What on Earth is Damien Kemp of Canal and River Trust on?
Friday the 17th of July saw him publish another of his weekly blundering blogs stating;
“Mooring – ok, so this is stating the obvious but, wide beam boats take up more of the channel even when moored up. This just means you need to be extra vigilant that you’re not causing a navigation hazard by obscuring views or mooring opposite a boat on the other bank, so think about the space you take up.”
Now it is fair comment that the odd boat (both fat and skinny) do on occasion moor up in the daftest of places, this is a fact, but here are a few others.
Fact; The offside vegetation has for the past 5 years been rampaging across the canal in its attempt to join up with its unkempt towpath relatives. Trees are now regularly overhanging the canal extending 15 to 20ft, often with branches literally touching the water in the channel itself. These trees are weighted down by their summer display of leaves and have recently began collapsing into the canal on a regular basis.
Fact: Canal and River Trust are doing the very bare minimum, or absolutely nothing to manage the offside vegetation.
Whilst we all as boat owners largely attempt to moor in places where we will not hinder or obstruct navigation for others, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the ideal mooring that does not cause issues for other users.
Whilst I myself and no doubt others too, appreciate the Trusts noting of the growing issue (pun intended), I think it’s clear that Canal and River Trust are doing nothing in practice to help the situation.
I also take note that yet again, Damien Kemp takes the opportunity to cause division by singling out a certain type of boat owner upon which to pour scorn.
(I’m sorry son, but you should have been ousted from Canal and River Trust a long time ago. I don’t know how you have survived the cull, but credit where it’s due, you do seem to have a habit of surviving).
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Post by TonyDunkley on Jul 18, 2020 10:47:51 GMT
. . . . . . . . . .................. . . . . I’m sorry son, but you should have been ousted from Canal and River Trust a long time ago. I don’t know how you have survived the cull, but credit where it’s due, you do seem to have a habit of surviving. Isn't he just exactly the sort of Trust representative that Parry wants ? I get the distinct impression that C&RT actually headhunt people who are useless and inept enough to work down to the standard consistently achieved by vapouring pricks like D.Kemp
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 11:02:49 GMT
. . . . . . . . . .................. . . . . I’m sorry son, but you should have been ousted from Canal and River Trust a long time ago. I don’t know how you have survived the cull, but credit where it’s due, you do seem to have a habit of surviving. Isn't he just exactly the sort of Trust representative that Parry wants ? I get the distinct impression that C&RT actually headhunt people who are useless and inept enough to work down to the standard consistently achieved by vapouring pricks like D.Kemp I can only agree with you. Damian has survived the transition from BW to CRT, mainly due to the fact that he is a yes man.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 11:04:28 GMT
One of the issues created by contracted out vegetation cutting in my view, is that Fountain's and the like, send their guys out to cut the grass on the towpath to honour the contract ... rain, snow, hail or blow.
But they do what they are contracted to do, without consideration or thought ... simply cut the grass.
We watched a guy trying to manhandle a large mower under over hanging branches in pouring rain ... the branches virtually blocking the towpath.
He managed to get through after great difficulty, but just left the overhanging branches be ... his mates with strimmers could have eased the situation, but the contract is to cut the grass and that's what he did.
I remember years ago chatting with the lockie on the Montgomery, just before he was retired and moved out of the lock cottage ... he said he used to keep the locks looking good, painting, planting and basic maintenance ... but contractors had taken over and they just cut the grass ... didn't even tidy it up so the cut grass just lays around in clumps and treads in everywhere.
At times now it seems the only jobs left that C&RT do are sending silly e mails and designing signage.
Rog
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Post by naughtyfox on Jul 18, 2020 12:11:18 GMT
Broken Britain. Why work for nothing, anyway?
"We watched a guy trying to manhandle a large mower under over hanging branches in pouring rain..."
You see? Some do... some just watch them struggle.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 12:21:38 GMT
Some navigation authorities make a decent job of grass cutting.
Also use in house staff only using contractors where needed
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 13:56:09 GMT
Broken Britain. Why work for nothing, anyway? "We watched a guy trying to manhandle a large mower under over hanging branches in pouring rain..." You see? Some do... some just watch them struggle. We were cruising by on the boat. He and his colleagues were working for Fountains. Not the foggiest what point you're trying to make, sorry. Rog
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Post by kris on Jul 18, 2020 15:19:00 GMT
I read damians latest output with disbelief, the anti widebeam rhetoric originated by certain elements of cart and the iwa. Is now being pedalled by their pet “blogger.” Cart do love playing boater off against boater. As Steve has pointed out, the neglect of offside vegetation cutting is reducing the width of navigation. To me this is part of the bigger picture, the removal of preventative maintenance as policy has come home to roost and is biting us all. Locally to me their are some visitor moorings that because of their disrepair are unusable by my boat. The lack of dredging means that other local visitor moorings are unusable by myself. Before anybody chirps up about being in one area, I have a mooring and am not a continuous cruiser. But no I don’t want to stay on my own mooring all the time, having visitor moorings that are usable in cruisable range is quite important for usage of the waterways. Something I have the privilege of paying extra for compared to narrowboat owners. Anyway I think most people reading this post have an idea of what’s going on with crt and preventative maintenance. So I think we should all start collecting evidence of belligerent neglect on our travels, hopefully at some stage the current management will be held to account for their wilful vandalism of the waterways.
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Post by JohnV on Jul 18, 2020 16:00:34 GMT
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Post by kris on Jul 18, 2020 16:12:18 GMT
Looks like a nice boat your on John. Sorry can’t help myself, I just love big old boats.
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Post by naughtyfox on Jul 18, 2020 16:13:09 GMT
I bet Damian pushed that tree in!
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Post by JohnV on Jul 18, 2020 16:33:12 GMT
Looks like a nice boat your on John. Sorry can’t help myself, I just love big old boats. "Alpha" 26 grt built in 1943 by Harkers Knottingley as a towing barge for the A&C. was a workboat for ABP Goole with the combings removed and flushed over (very low internal mould circa 5 foot)
Not sure of the exact dimensions but 50 ish foot and 14 foot beam
Just been acquired by Deans Marine of Hull as a workboat.Was laid up for quite a long time and is very scruffy, no time to tidy as straight out to work.
(JCB engine runs well), pushed a large ex pilot boat up to Naburn from Goole.
Not very good photos from deck but No.6 took over and towed it up to York alongside which shows it's size (quite a bit bigger than Alpha) (Picture soon)
Original chain steering and huge rudder so hard work maneuvering but responds very well to helm apart from that .... certainly a boat deserving of TLC .... I like it !!!
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Post by kris on Jul 18, 2020 16:35:05 GMT
Sounds exactly like my kind of boat John.
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Post by kris on Jul 18, 2020 16:54:02 GMT
Anyway back on subject, I’ve had an idea, well it’s a bit more of a question for Nigel at the moment. How possible would it be to bring a private prosecution against crt for wilful neglect?
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Post by Telemachus on Jul 18, 2020 17:50:57 GMT
I don’t think wilful neglect is a crime. Otherwise I could be prosecuted for the state of my hair. I think you would need to determine what specific legal duty CRT have to manage vegetation, then get some kind of court order to force them to meet their obligations. I’m sure it would only cost a couple of hundred k.
It was very noticeable on the southern Stratford that nature was rapidly reclaiming the canal. Three months of lack of use and lack of maintenance is all that it takes. Quite nice in places, but obviously not when it restricts navigation.
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