Memorandum submitted by John Rhodes (BW
59)
Over the years I have come into contact with
British Waterways on several occasions. Mainly with regard to
the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. In this relationship I can
clearly say a pattern has developed.
British Waterways have constantly put off people
from using the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.
INCIDENT 1
We were boating along the G & S Canal when
we were nearly swamped by a large launch careering along the canal
at well over the lawful speed limit. Our boat just about did four
knots flat out—these launches were coming the other way
at twice our speed setting up a huge wash that was breaking on
the edge of the canal. The wash came aboard our boat—not
dangerously so—but we had to bail water out. We reported
this to the lock keeper and he reported back to us that these
launches were in a hurry to get to Sharpness and lock out into
the River Severn. Our complaint was never acknowledge officially
even though we gave the name of the launch to the lock-keeper.
He had passed the message on without any success.
The launches were breaking the law in speed
and in allowing their wash to break on the banks. No one did anything
about this because we were just a little boat & possibly I
did not have a tie on.
INCIDENT 2
Several times over the years we used to get
a short term licence on the G & S Canal to use our 2.4 metre
motor boat. This we did over a number of years. One bank holiday
about three to four years ago we were stopped by the river police
for using our motor boat on the canal. I had a licence valid for
a week. They said that the boat was too small to be on a ship
canal. I said there were no ships on the canal so why could that
be a reason for throwing me off the canal especially as I already
had a licence. They then insisted that I took the boat off the
water on a bank holiday. I had my family with me & we were
very disappointed & saddened by the B.W. attitude.
I made a complaint and their action was upheld
(by their staff) despite my stating there were no ships on the
ship canal—"ever" at this time. Also that maritime
law stated that accidents—like running down a small boat
was not allowed by ships or boats and was a criminal offence as
the watchkeeper would in fact be negligent to do such an action.
As a person with a commercial skippers licence (up to 23 metres)
I have been taught the law and trained on suitable sized craft
and I actually have my own 72ft tug.
I found the B.W. staff though nice enough were
intractable, seemed to be making up the rules as they went along,
and were not prepared to listen or help. It turns out that the
boss of the area was with the B.W. officer when she enforced her
point of view and made us leave the water. Several months later
I spoke to the G & S boss on the phone and he had recognised
me (on that day on the canal) from an interview I had had with
him a year or so previous to this incident. I did not recognise
him at the time as he was with the BW officer and never made any
comment nor revealed who he was.
Those are two incidents on the canal itself.
There were further occasions that I had to complain.
INCIDENT 3
For about six months I was trying to set up
a series of events at Gloucester Docks to raise funds for my tug
and for the Gloucester and District Model Club that I belonged
to along with my son. For ages I tried to get sense out of BW
and the Gloucester Dock Company or whatever they called themselves.
In the end I gave up as there was no interest at all in what I
was trying to achieve.
INCIDENT 4
The above mentioned Gloucester & District
Model Boat Club were given lots of hassle over their annual model
boat show. Then the building works started and they were pushed
out.
INCIDENT 5
The docks are so built up now that there is
little room for events of any reasonable size. There is no room
for commercial shipping operations. Rumour has it that B.W. want
to force out the only maritime commercial operation in Gloucester
Docks—the Dry Docks and repairs business next to the B.W.
offices. The rumour was compounded by commercial valuers looking
over the dry docks and actually saying that the area was up for
rebuilding. The dry docks is the last sign of the docks historic
past, all the other buildings are transformed into "nice,
tidy & clean" accommodation or shopping malls.
INCIDENT 6
The rebuilding of the Cotswold Canals—The
Stroud Canal & the Thames & Severn Canal are being rebuilt.
There is no intention of having commercial traffic apart from
"cruisers" using them. The depth of water will be 4ft
and the max depth of the locks 6ft whereas if the depth of water
was 8ft and the locks 8 ft there would be the possibility of commercial
industrial transport using the canal in the near future when traffic
will have to be alleviated by alternative transport systems.
The canal system as an alternative for commercial
"industrial" traffic will only be viable with loads
of 40-80 tonnes. This means depth of water, docksides for loading
and unloading, not just keys for people to use the toilets showers
and pump outs.
Very little thought has gone into the realistic
use of canals for extra revenue apart from stinging the punters
for as much as possible whilst doing as little as possible.
INCIDENT 7
The dredging of the Sharpness & Gloucester
Canal.
This was carried out by a Dutch company blowing
the mud and weed off the bottom of the canal.
Hence the canal got difficult to use as many
boats had their water intakes clogged by weed.
INCIDENT 8
Trying to Tender for B.W. works.
After many years of trying to get work out of
the management of B.W.—Tree Surgery is my business—we
never received any tenders or even acknowledgements of any applications
for work. Finally last year I was told that we had to get on a
certain list in order to receive tender applications. This list
costs £1,500 to get onto with no guarantee that work would
come up or tenders sent out in that year.. Without this we cannot
get any work off B.W. nor can we be invited to tender for work.
There is a government Portal called—support@supply2.gov.uk—which
is free to local businesses in order to get over the problems
of costly "special" lists and enable the government
departments and quangos to get cheaper quotes and reduce their
spending. Not B.W.
INCIDENT 9
There is a three year waiting list for moorings
on the S & G Canal. If they are short on money then they should
open up more moorings.
I hope the above gives you some idea of the
type of administration that B.W. are carrying out.
Over the last two to three years I have personally
noticed that less and less traffic uses the canal. This is due
to them putting off people who want to use the canal commercially
or privately. If you want to do something on the canal they will
try their hardest to put you off.
John Rhodes
March 2007
| 
