Latest news with #lockkeepers
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
The beautiful Welsh canal that's fighting closure
Setting off in a hired narrowboat, there is a choice of two directions: left or right. From Beacon Park Boats, on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal near Llangattock, one direction – according to the company's illustrated map – promises 'a totally relaxed, stress-free and lock-free weekend'. The sales pitch for the other direction (north) read: 'Tackle the Llangyndir lock-flight'. There are few weekends during which I enjoy any kind of tackling. But that is the direction we chose. Meanwhile, a group of youngsters – first-time boaters, unlike our party – headed south with copious bottles of alcohol cooling in an ice-box on their back deck. It started well. In the company of Sam, a member of staff from whom we learnt the ropes, we cruised past historic lime kilns, around bends and under old stone bridges. A flat-topped mountain and escarpments rose high above us. We moored opposite a sloping field of bleating sheep and frothy hawthorn blossom; fluffy ducklings cheeped on petal-strewn, glittering water. We wandered down to a village pub. Surely this direction promised a relaxing weekend too? The next day, the stress began. It wasn't the five locks that were the problem (volunteer lock keepers on duty made them easy work) it was the depth – or lack of it – of the water. This isolated 35-mile canal has always been shallow – 'it was built on the cheap,' said one lock keeper – and, as a result, has a notional speed limit of 2mph, half that of other canals. We were also in the biggest boat in the Beacon Park Boats fleet: Drake, 60ft 12 in long and 8ft 6 in wide. This meant lots of twists and turns. Each of Beacon Park's boats is unique, designed by owner Alasdair Kirkpatrick, inspired by his love of fancy yachts. One vessel has a four-poster bed, another has a hot-tub on the front deck. With touches such as complimentary decanters of Welsh Penderyn whisky, they are the most expensive canal boats to hire in the country. Three nights in June on Drake costs over £2,000. What would those early boatmen who laboured with cargoes of coal and limestone think? With its interior of highly varnished red cherry wood and ash stripes, the boat brought to mind a circus tent. This proved apt. Before long, we found ourselves in the middle of a five-boat log-jam all going aground in the shallow canal. Passers-by on the towpath stopped to enjoy the spectacle. Barge poles flailed everywhere. Skippers shouted advice over the growl of engines. Hulls scraped over stones. One hiker offered to help, so we threw him our bow rope and he heaved like a horse. An old man on a bike stopped to yell insults. Some laughed, some cried. Eventually, just as I was wondering whether someone would start a trapeze act from the towering trees overhead, the log-jam began to shift and one by one the boats freed themselves and continued on their way. Skippers smiled and cheered. Our northward journey that day – a grand total of seven miles and five locks – took nine hours. On any other canal, you would estimate a journey time of about four hours. Turning around in the silted-up winding hole was a challenge. Again, people stopped to enjoy the entertainment. While it is true that this canal has always been shallow, there were boaters who said they thought it was more shallow than usual. 'We didn't have any problems last time we came, but we've been truly stuck this time. We had to ask for help,' said Helen Thurber who, with her husband Bob, had flown in from their home in the US. This was their third time to cruise on the Monmouthshire and Brecon. The long dry spring which has resulted in the closure of some inland waterways, such as the Rochdale Canal, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Pocklington Canal, nearly saw the closure of this one too. Lack of rain and new legislation designed to protect the ecology of the River Usk that feeds the canal, meant the 'Mon & Brec', which is estimated to bring in £25 million to the local economy, faced the prospect of closing to navigation. An emergency stop-gap solution has now been agreed, with the Canal & River Trust (CRT) paying Welsh Water for supplies. Richard Parry, chief Executive of the CRT, says this could cost as much as £100,000 a week if the dry spell continues. Kirkpatrick is concerned about the implications. 'This canal is too important to fail, so CRT will pay Welsh Water silly money to keep it open and the rest of the canal network will suffer,' he says. ' Lack of rain in Wales – yes, surprising – will mean funding cuts across the rest of the inland waterways.' The youngsters who had headed south returned to base a few hours after us, their ice-box of drinks now empty. 'How was it?' I asked. 'We got stuck for two and a half hours!' said one of the party, Joe Richardson, from Essex. It wasn't the shallow water that was their undoing. They had tried to turn in a winding hole that was too short for their boat. Then they had to reverse for an hour and a half to get back to the winding hole they should have used. It sounded anything but 'relaxed and stress-free'. Despite this, Joe was upbeat. 'We'd definitely come back. We loved the scenery and the boat,' he said. 'Although next time we might choose a smaller one.' The beauty of this isolated canal, with its views of mountains glimpsed through trees, is unsurpassed. In the spring sunshine it was glorious. As well as two long days cruising, we found time for hikes: over a sheep-grazed hill with far-reaching views, and to the top of the escarpments above Llangattock. A cuckoo called, lambs bleated, the air was full of the scent of hawthorn. Mercifully, just as we were leaving, it began to rain.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Thames weir and lock keepers vote to strike over safety concerns
Lock keepers on the River Thames have voted to take strike action over what their union said were safety concerns caused by a staff are currently 52 trained staff employed by the Environment Agency along the length of the GMB Union said that figure should be 90 during peak Environment Agency has been contacted for comment. The GMB said turnout in the ballot was 98%, with 90% voting for strike Brandstatter, GMB national officer, said: "Our River Thames weir and lock keepers are passionate, dedicated workers. They live and work with river users and don't want to go on strike."But there are only 52 staff doing the work of 90 - it's just not safe."He said staff had gone "above and beyond" to keep people safe but "enough is enough"."They have the support of boaters, river users, those who live on and by the river and hikers," he added."They now feel withdrawing their labour is the only way to get their message across to the Environment Agency."
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
River Thames weir and lock keepers vote on potential strike
River Thames weir and lock keepers consider strike 9 minutes ago Share Save Ethan Gudge BBC News, Oxford Share Save Getty Images Hambleden, near Henley, is home to one of 45 non-tidal locks along the River Thames, as well as a weir Weir and lock keepers along the River Thames have begun voting on strike action over safety concerns, a trade union has said. The GMB said workers were currently deciding whether to take industrial action over what it called "budget-driven decisions" that were "putting people and property at risk". There are currently 52 permanent staff working on the river, along with 10 currently unfilled temporary roles, but an Environment Agency (EA) assessment in 2008 found more than 100 staff were needed, the union said. In a statement, the EA said it was "committed" to working with keepers and unions to "avoid industrial action". The ballot for workers opened on Friday and will close on 23 May, the union said. GMB national officer Kevin Brandstatter said weir and lock keepers along the Thames were currently "expected to keep people safe with half the numbers needed". "There are only 52 staff doing the work of more than 90 - it's just not safe with planned time off, holiday commitments and sick absence," he said. "All they want is to do their jobs safely and well and keep the public safe - and they may be ready to go on strike to achieve that." Getty Images The union wants better staffing along the river, including at Sandford Lock In March, Mr Brandstatter raised concerns and warned of strike action in a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). There are 45 non-tidal locks on the River Thames, including Osney and Iffley in Oxfordshire, Caversham and Shiplake in Berkshire and others in Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Greater London. An EA spokesperson said lock and weir keepers were an "important aid in maintaining the non-tidal Thames and allowing the public to enjoy our waterways". "Their safety, and the safety of river users, is a top priority," the spokesperson said. "We are committed to continuing to work with them and unions to update our ways of working so we can deliver more for our customers and river users, and avoid industrial action, while ensuring the wellbeing of staff." "To be clear, we have not proposed any cuts to jobs or services – and we will provide further detail on our approach to modernising navigation on the Thames in due course." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, , or Instagram.
