Peter's Waterways Blog Drawing A Blank This was first published in IWA West Riding's Milepost in November 2016, as an alert on the extended stoppage for bridge works on the Bridgewater Canal.

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The November 2016 report mentioned the return from the Leeds and Liverpool bicentenary flotilla through the Bridgewater Canal, and that there were national discussions about the reciprocal agreement with C&RT which Peel had reneged on. In addition to that problem, Peel have closed their Main Line from a week before C&RT began its winter works programme, through Christmas to March, and all to erect a new bridge across the canal. Railways seem to manage this job rather quicker. Perhaps we need a way of persuading Peel to listen to all their users, many of whom navigate from all over the network of waterways.

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The February 2017 report was thet there was more depression at a Duckpond (my name for canal mangement that fails to take account of the network as a whole) being managed by Peel at the end of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Its connection southwards to the national network is through the Leigh Branch of the Bridgewater Canal. This is being closed for an extended period to late May by bridge works which for some reason were not done during the winter. Relationships with Peel are at a low ebb, with introduction of charges for return journeys on their canal, reneging on the reciprocal agreement with British Waterways and their successor, in a situation probably brought about by a small number of boats seeking to remain in a small geographic area without a home mooring

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Bridgewater's logo

The reporting continued in IWA West Riding's Milepost in May 2017, with a longer article reporting on Canal and River Trust's view of their relationship with the Bridgewater Canal. David Baldacchino, Canal and River Trust Waterways Manager for (the then current) Manchester and Pennine Region spoke at the West Riding Branch Annual General Meeting, and showed us a slide of the progress of negotiations with the Bridgewater Canal management since they changed their interpretation of the Reciprocal Agreement with C&RT. It was blank. C&RT were waiting on the proposals from the Bridgewater, and had received nothing useful. The closure of the Stretford and Leigh Branch for bridge work continued throughout the winter and into June.

The Warrington Guardian reported that a Bridgewater Canal user fears that boating activity on the waterway at Lymm is at risk due to the amount of enforcement activity being carried out by the Bridgewater Canal Company. Chris Pilgram, who has had a boat on the canal for more than 20 years was quoted as saying "One of the clearest results of this over-policing of the canal means that the village of Lymm rarely has any boats moored there. Canal and River Trust licence holders are chased off the canal after seven days with no return for a month. So they don't come.” "Lymm was always a vibrant boating centre, which benefited both the ambience of the village and the income of the businesses.

Sign on entering the Bridgewater, 2019

Barton Swing Aqueduct

Peter Parkinson, general manager of Bridgewater Canal, responded to the criticism. "The Bridgewater Canal Company employs two enforcement officers, as several years ago numerous complaints were received from canal side residents and both C&RT and Bridgewater boaters in regards to the number of unlicensed, illegal and abandoned craft on the canal and reports of anti-social behaviour." "We have a reciprocal agreement with C&RT where each can use each other's waters for free for seven days and thereafter a weekly permit is required by each boater on each other's waters. We found that some of these overstaying and unlicensed boats tended to congregate in popular visiting locations, including Lymm and Stockton Heath, so Bridgewater Canal boaters and other genuine visiting C&RT boaters could not visit these popular spots." "The Bridgewater Canal Company wants a healthy, clean, happy and vibrant waterway and we encourage all genuine licensed C&RT boats to come and visit our delightful canal. "However, we must insist that all visitors abide by the rules and regulations of the canal."

If your trip is disrupted or your plans changed by the changes on the Bridgewater, please tell them, and let us have a copy. The more evidence of disruption we have the more pressure we can bring to bear to improve the situation. Update 2019: I am not aware of any further progress form C&RT, nor have we any reports of enforcement action against navigators passing through the Bridgewater with only overnight stops.

Castleford, Manchester

Peter Scott @peterjohnscott