Memorandum submitted by the River Weaver
Navigation Society (BW 85)
The Society exists to preserve, protect and
develop the River Weaver Navigation for the benefit of all its
users:
Commercial boating
Leisure cruising
Rowing
Canoeing
Angling
Walking
Cycling
Horse riding
Wildlife watching
The Society has about 100 members, and current
campaign projects are:
— Restoration of Frodsham lock and
the development of Frodsham waterfront
— Replacement of Riversdale Bridge
(the `safe route to School')
— Encouragement of commercial traffic
— Re-instatement of all locks on the
Navigation
— Improvement of water quality
— Provide improved interpretation information
along the river
— Create access for pedestrians, cyclists
and horse riders to all parts of the river
— Improve facilities (water, waste
disposal, temporary mooring, boater-operated locks) for leisure
boating.
http://www.rwns.co.uk
This submission relates to the River Weaver
Navigation, part of the British Waterways network.
The River Weaver Navigation is a commercial
waterway, originally built to service the salt industry of mid-Cheshire,
and designed to be capable of handling coasters and barges with
a carrying capacity of around 800 tons. At its peak the Navigation
carried more than a million tons of freight per annum. There are
5 sets of locks, including the entrance lock from the Manchester
Ship Canal, and four swing bridge crossings of major highways.
There is a working salt mine at Winsford, alongside
the navigation, which exports a significant proportion of its
output through Liverpool docks, but all of this traffic goes to
Liverpool by road. There are also plans to fill the resultant
mine cavities with dry waste, some of which may be hazardous.
Both of these traffics are eminently suitable for water transport,
with consequent environmental benefits over road transport (each
boat trip saves 30 lorry journeys).
British Waterways has failed to encourage these
traffics, and has failed to maintain the River Weaver Navigation
to a standard such that this traffic could be undertaken with
commercial confidence. There are serious faults with all five
sets of locks on the Navigation; a major failure of Vale Royal
locks in 2003 is still awaiting repair and has been postponed
further. No current timetable exists for the repair. The channel
of the Navigation has many points where the depth is much less
than would be needed for commercial traffic, and the re-furbishment
of the Sutton Weaver swing bridge, carrying A56 traffic has been
postponed indefinitely. A footbridge on a popular "safe route
to school" in Northwich was condemned in 2004 and closed.
British Waterways has no plans for its replacement.
In response to complaints from this Society
and others, British Waterways claims that shortage of money has
prevented this essential maintenance; much good work was done
in the period 1999-2002, but with the budget cutbacks all prospect
of a continuing improvement disappeared. The locks have all been
de-manned and 48 hours notice is required for operation, leading
to total disuse. It is our contention that the river is now at
a worse state than at any time in its history.
Dr SP Gardiner
Chairman
April 2007
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