Latest news with #canal
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Canal needs to be safer, say boaters after assaults
"It's the same as the city, there's a feeling of degradation about it in places, which saddens me." John Ball has been mooring in Nottingham city centre on his narrowboat for many years, and says the canal has changed in that time. He spoke to the BBC following three separate attacks along and near the canal in less than a month. The first was against a woman who was raped on 20 June, then another woman was sexually assaulted on 6 July, then a man was seriously assaulted on 17 July. John says he has felt threatened himself at times, but he continues mooring in the city centre out of defiance. 'Violent and aggressive' "If people like me stop mooring here then it will get progressively worse," says John, who is 71. "It will finish up with more and more people drinking and doing drugs, and being violent and aggressive." John says he has experienced vandalism himself - someone unhooked the protective fenders from the side of his boat and threw them in the water. He pays for a permanent mooring at a nearby marina, so he could stay there, but he is determined to keep using the canal. "I won't stop doing it, because it winds me up and it annoys me as much as anything else," he says. John isn't the only person to be concerned. The Canal and River Trust (CRT) - the charity responsible for maintaining England's waterways - says it has been "shocked" by the recent assaults. The charity said it had been in discussions with Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Police. "We're carrying out regular clean-ups and addressing issues such as unlicensed boats, but we want to work with partner organisations that have the powers and skills to deal with the broader issues we've seen recently, such as criminal activity, fly-tipping and homelessness," a spokesman said. John said he had noticed a problem with unlicensed boats himself. Boaters like him have to pay an annual licence to the CRT which allows them to use canals - but some boaters have been mooring along the canal illegally. "I walked in from Castle Marina the other day and of the 19 boats I passed, two of them had licences on them, and they were the two charity boats run by the local authority," he said. The CRT theoretically has the power to remove unlicensed boats from canals, but in reality, doing so is difficult. "This is always very much a last resort, at the end of a long legal process, and where we've repeatedly tried to resolve the issues with the boater without success," said the CRT spokesman. Multiple women have previously told the BBC they feel too scared to walk or run along the canal, and that more police patrols would help. Nottinghamshire Police said its officers were "maintaining a high-visibility presence in the area" following the recent attacks. Supt Chris Pearson, area commander for the City Division, said: "Our neighbourhood policing team for the city centre continue to carry out routine patrols around our canal towpaths as part of their policing activity. "This is both uniformed and plain-clothed patrols. "Violence against women and girls is a force priority and we will continue to work with our partners to improve the safety of our canal network." Nottingham City Council was also asked to comment but did not want to. John believes the canal would be safer if more licensed boaters like him started mooring there. "Realistically, more people need to use it," he said. "You can put people [police officers] on the ground but they haven't got the resources." Fellow narrowboater Ian Furmidge agrees there is safety in numbers. He normally moors his narrowboat in Market Bosworth, but was passing through Nottingham city centre when he spoke to the BBC. "All towns and cities and urban areas come with a sense of trepidation, and there is safety in numbers, you do look for groups of boats," said Ian, who is 62. "If I was mooring here and there were no other boats at all I'd be quite nervous and probably wouldn't stop. "We need people in the city centres." John has certainly not been deterred from mooring in the city centre by the recent attacks. "It's my home town and I'm not going to be pushed out of it by people behaving in a bad way," he said. Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. 'It no longer feels safe to run next to the canal' Man charged with rape after city centre attack Man in hospital after serious canal path assault
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Nottingham canal needs to be safer, say boaters after assaults
"It's the same as the city, there's a feeling of degradation about it in places, which saddens me."John Ball has been mooring in Nottingham city centre on his narrowboat for many years, and says the canal has changed in that spoke to the BBC following three separate attacks along and near the canal in less than a first was against a woman who was raped on 20 June, then another woman was sexually assaulted on 6 July, then a man was seriously assaulted on 17 says he has felt threatened himself at times, but he continues mooring in the city centre out of defiance. 'Violent and aggressive' "If people like me stop mooring here then it will get progressively worse," says John, who is 71."It will finish up with more and more people drinking and doing drugs, and being violent and aggressive."John says he has experienced vandalism himself - someone unhooked the protective fenders from the side of his boat and threw them in the pays for a permanent mooring at a nearby marina, so he could stay there, but he is determined to keep using the canal."I won't stop doing it, because it winds me up and it annoys me as much as anything else," he says. John isn't the only person to be concerned. The Canal and River Trust (CRT) - the charity responsible for maintaining England's waterways - says it has been "shocked" by the recent charity said it had been in discussions with Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Police."We're carrying out regular clean-ups and addressing issues such as unlicensed boats, but we want to work with partner organisations that have the powers and skills to deal with the broader issues we've seen recently, such as criminal activity, fly-tipping and homelessness," a spokesman said. John said he had noticed a problem with unlicensed boats himself. Boaters like him have to pay an annual licence to the CRT which allows them to use canals - but some boaters have been mooring along the canal illegally."I walked in from Castle Marina the other day and of the 19 boats I passed, two of them had licences on them, and they were the two charity boats run by the local authority," he CRT theoretically has the power to remove unlicensed boats from canals, but in reality, doing so is difficult."This is always very much a last resort, at the end of a long legal process, and where we've repeatedly tried to resolve the issues with the boater without success," said the CRT spokesman. Multiple women have previously told the BBC they feel too scared to walk or run along the canal, and that more police patrols would Police said its officers were "maintaining a high-visibility presence in the area" following the recent Chris Pearson, area commander for the City Division, said: "Our neighbourhood policing team for the city centre continue to carry out routine patrols around our canal towpaths as part of their policing activity."This is both uniformed and plain-clothed patrols."Violence against women and girls is a force priority and we will continue to work with our partners to improve the safety of our canal network."Nottingham City Council was also asked to comment but did not want to. John believes the canal would be safer if more licensed boaters like him started mooring there."Realistically, more people need to use it," he said."You can put people [police officers] on the ground but they haven't got the resources."Fellow narrowboater Ian Furmidge agrees there is safety in normally moors his narrowboat in Market Bosworth, but was passing through Nottingham city centre when he spoke to the BBC."All towns and cities and urban areas come with a sense of trepidation, and there is safety in numbers, you do look for groups of boats," said Ian, who is 62."If I was mooring here and there were no other boats at all I'd be quite nervous and probably wouldn't stop."We need people in the city centres."John has certainly not been deterred from mooring in the city centre by the recent attacks."It's my home town and I'm not going to be pushed out of it by people behaving in a bad way," he said.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Leeds-Liverpool towpath work connects communities
The final section of a historical Yorkshire towpath which links two communities in different counties has been resurfaced and two-mile stretch between Kildwick in North Yorkshire and Silsden in West Yorkshire had been described as the "missing link" on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and River Trust, which was responsible for the project, said the work meant the path would now directly connect the two places and be easier for people to walk or cycle along. Sean McGinley, from the trust, said the route, which is more than 200 years old, was a "national treasure" which needed "ongoing care to remain open, navigable, and accessible for all". About £1.8m was spent on improvements, which included better access for people with mobility difficulties and pushchairs, as well as the addition of new signs and widening of the path as the longest single canal for the passage of boats, the 34-mile (54km) route connects Leeds and Bradford to Skipton and charity said it took in "some of the most picturesque and uplifting open countryside along England's canal networks" as well as heritage including the Bingley Five Rise Locks. The work was carried out in a partnership between Bradford Council, North Yorkshire Council and the West Yorkshire Combined McGinley said: "These improvements not only help to safeguard our rich canal heritage but also make it easier and more appealing for more people to experience the health benefits of spending time by water."David Skaith, mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: "For too long, this vital missing link on the towpath represented a missed opportunity for communities in North and West Yorkshire." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Drought leaves boat dwellers stranded on Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Boat owners and businesses stranded on a 17-mile (27km) stretch of drought-affected canal say they could be trapped for locks at Gargrave, near Skipton, and the Bingley Five Rise Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, are closed due to a lack of water, leaving boat-dwellers stranded between those Burton, who was on his way to Wigan but is now living on his boat in Skipton indefinitely, said: "We were passing through on our way to Leeds but I think it might be September, could even be October."The Canal and River Trust, which operates the network, said the water level was much lower than normal but the routes were unlikely to run dry. Boat hire companies have seen holidays cancelled and a drop in passing trade in their Boats, which has 21 hire boats, has seen most of its holiday bookings cancelled or relocated to other parts of the former family-run boatyard was recently bought by Anglo Welsh, a large narrow boat company. Adrian Sirr, lead engineer at Anglo Welsh (Silsden), said it was only because the company is country-wide that it has managed to weather this said: "Customers are disappointed."A lot wish to go down the Bingley Five and Three Rise and a lot of people come from all over the world."We are still offering three-day bookings, customers have been going up to Skipton, every customer has come back saying they have loved it."If we had still been a private company we would not have survived this summer, there is no way."Anglo Welsh have saved us by being able to transfer bookings to elsewhere in the country."He added, laughing: "We are hoping for eight weeks minimum of continual rain." The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is 127 miles (204km) long and was built more than 200 years up in the Pennines supply it with water, but at the end of June the Canal and River Trust suspended lock use between Wigan and Leeds because operating a lock uses a lot of bridges can still be operated as normal and the towpaths are fully open so boats can move freely between sets of means anyone on a boat between Gargrave and Bingley is stuck on the 17-mile stretch for now. Pennine Cruisers in Skipton is a small family-run year bosses decided to make the business more sold off their fleet of weekly hire boats and now the company concentrates on day hire, skippered boat trips and a dry dock where boat maintenance is carried means that, despite the lock closure, two thirds of their business can still Venn, one of the directors, said: "In hindsight it was definitely the right decision."If we hadn't made that decision we would have lots of boats just sitting here unable to go anywhere that we had massive overheads for, and staff that were paid to run them."So we would be in not a very good position at all." Pendle Witch Sweets is a floating sweet shop that usually operates on the Leeds and Liverpool Patrick Creaven made the decision eight weeks ago to relocate and run his business from the Aire and Calder Navigation to avoid becoming said: "Unfortunately lots of our friends are now stuck in various parts of the Leeds-Liverpool, grounded, not going anywhere."Our home mooring is the highest point on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, so it's all got to fill from the top down, so we could be one of the last to get back." Steve Desadeleer in Skipton has lived on his boat for nine years and was on his way to said: "I could actually move between here and Bingley but I don't want to be too long in Bingley, it's too hilly."Meanwhile Tim Hooper, stuck at the top of the Bingley Five Rise Locks, said he had been there for five weeks so far."It's a nice spot to be stuck, if you're going to be stuck," he said."It's a little bit frustrating, we like to be moving, we don't normally stop in one spot for more than a few days but there is nothing we can do about it."It's our home so we are making the best of it." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- The Guardian
Tell us about your favourite waterside pub
On a hot summer's day there's little better than enjoying a cool drink by the water. We'd love to hear about your favourite UK boozer that sits on a river, lake or canal. Perhaps you can take a boat there, maybe it's somewhere that has lovely views, or a place that serves great food at the water's edge. The best tip, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet, wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website. Keep your tip to about 100 words If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it's your words we will be judging for the competition. We're sorry, but for legal reasons you must be a UK resident to enter this competition. The competition closes on Monday 21 July at 10am BST Have a look at our past winners and other tips Read the terms and conditions here Share your travel tip using the form below. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. First name only if you prefer This competition is only open to UK-based readers If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
