and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

NAME/ ORG QUESTION / ISSUES ANSWER Chris Daniels & Why do clubs like ours pay access to tow Our canal towpaths are in the main a permissive right of way to allow Dave Hyatt- paths when CRT do not own the fishing people to travel from A to B. Walkers, joggers and cyclists generally fall in Goms hill rights. Bikers, dog walkers, joggers and to this category and hence this is why we do not charge for their use. juniors fishing general public do not have to pay insurance We charge people who carryout activities on or from our property and in club. and we have to. general charge for angling, boating, canoes/kayaks, filming and some events.

Where fishing rights are not owned by the Trust, the owner or controller of the fishing rights could fish from non-Trust, private or 3rd party land (the offside of the canal) provided they have had that land owner’s permission to do so. In this situation, the Trust would not charge for access rights to fish.

Insurance is there to protect the individual or organisation should an incident or accident happen while carrying out their chosen activity. Our standard angling agreement states angling clubs must hold 3rd party public liability insurance. This protects the clubs committee or Trustees who could be personally liable in the event of a claim against the club or any angler fishing on a clubs controlled fishery. We would also recommend that all cyclists carry their own insurance.

All income raised by activities carried out on our property goes towards maintaining the canal network for all to enjoy and this includes funding for our commitments within the Trusts angling strategy.

Bryan Pollard – Vegetation Control at Bridge Holes The vegetation within the bridge holes and on the structure is removed Broken Cross Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals - What once a year during the winter months on a rolling maintenance programme. Boat Club is the vegetation control policy for bridge We believe the specification is being adhered to. holes? Has the contract specification been This year we will be strimming the vegetation immediately above and below adhered to on these canals? the bridges too. Page 1

Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

We’re expecting this work to start on the Trent and Mersey towards the end of November and move up the Macclesfield by the end of the year.

Bryan Pollard – Towpath Vegetation Control on Trent & The grass and vegetation on all canal towpaths are cut every 5 to 6 weeks Broken Cross Mersey Canal (Middlewich to Anderton) when and on the locks and landings every 2.5 weeks. The initial mowing of the Boat Club is the vegetation on this section of canal grass takes place around March / April with the final cut being scheduled to be cut, should it not be October/November. The final cut being a full width cut from towpath Spring/Summer? boundary to water’s edge on all towpaths.

We use a number of cutting regimes of varying extents in the summer – sometimes its full width all the time, in remote locations (like the section in question) we take a lighter touch just seeking to keep a central path clear.

More information on our approach to grass cutting can be found on our web site at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/our-work/maintaining-our- waterways/vegetation-management/mowing-the-grass.

Hard copies of this are included in the handouts.

Bryan Pollard – Invasion of Pennywort Weed on Trent & The Trust this year has undertaken two separate weed control sprays of Broken Cross Mersey Canal (Bridge 210 to Dutton Lock) the Pennywort on the section of the T&M canal from Anderton Boat Lift Boat Club through to lock 76. The instruction of when and where to spray is decided There is an increasing amount of Pennywort by our environmental advisors at CRT. weed appearing on this section of canal. Some are free floating islands of weed but We’re committed to this approach as a method of control.

the majority is attached to the offside We do monitor for re-growth and will call off additional sprays if these banking. become necessary. What plans are in place to address this issue?

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Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

Bryan Pollard – When operating the lock water flows over the The water level at Dutton cannot be raised anymore. The pound level is Broken Cross top of the gates making the lock difficult to set by the waste weir at Anderton – any attempt to raise the water level Boat Club operate. would be a significant engineering issue.

Should the top of the gates be raised with We are surprised to hear that this is happening and would like to timber to prevent this overflow? understand the frequency with this is occurrence.

We’re double checking that the newly installed head gates are the same size as the old ones – at the time of writing we haven’t been able to do that. Keith W Sykes, Publicity recently in the Daily Funding has been secured by the local Huddersfield Examiner states that the towpath of the authority to invest in the canal towpath. Canal Society Huddersfield Narrow Canal between Aspley Canal & River Trust are clear that any and Golcar is to be turned into a cycleway. investment made must be as a multiuser What consultation is to take place between CRT and the users of the canal, including path. We are in very early stages of looking walkers, fisherman and the Huddersfield at the possibilities for the stretch of towpath Canal Society, over your permission to allow and the feasibility of creating a multiuser such to take place, the surfacing, the route. There will be a full consultation safeguards to users and the heritage of the exercise with all users before any proposals towpath? are taken forward.

We have a guidelines document on our website for anyone who is interested

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/6873.pdf

Keith W Sykes, Extraction of Water from the Huddersfield Our water management team are currently reviewing the situation and have Huddersfield Narrow Canal Pound between locks 1E and plans in place for a new Scada alarm/monitoring system. When installed Canal Society 2E by the University of Huddersfield. this will give 24hr monitoring of the pound and Alarms sent to the Trust

when the water level is dropping. This will give us the ability to react to falling water levels quickly and prevent disruption to the network. Page 3

Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

What action are CRT taking to alleviate such a problem continually arising It’s not 100% certain that it is the water abstraction that is causing the problem although it is understandable that people will point to this, the SCADA will provide a better insight on this too.

The SCADA is expected to be installed next year. Roger Evans Why is only one of the three duplicate locks Lock 63 works are on site already. Trent and Mersey currently closed on the Cheshire Flight being Canal Society mended this winter? Background: Lock 63 is We don’t have a date yet for the others but expect this to be done over the shown as closed 2/11-24/12 for repair. winter period. However Locks 65 and 66 are still shown as “Closed UFN” even though they only need the bumper board mending/replacing.

Furness Vale Can we have a date when dredging will take The Trust is grateful for the information that our customers provide about Boat club. place on the Macclesfield and Upper Peak our waterways. Bridge 19 Braddock’s, Bridge 20 Ryles and Bridge 21 Forest canals. Two years ago Macclesfield Hibbert’s Bridge together with Ryles Wharf and winding holes at Canal Society did a comprehensive survey Middlewood, Brookhouse Lane and Watery Lane are proposed for spot- identifying bridge holes which were in urgent need of spot dredging, this seems to have dredging been ignored and they have now reached a There will be the opportunity at the meeting to comment on dredging plans critical state. However spot dredging alone is not going to solve the problems as many of further. our members are regularly stuck. The area around Furness Vale Marina is particularly bad and moorer’s are struggling to get their boats out. Also around Macclesfield Br 47 is very shallow.

For most of the boating season this year We don’t agree with the statement made relating to water levels but do water levels on the Macclesfield and Upper acknowledge there have been few times when the water level has been Peak Forest canals have been too low for outside what we would regard as OK. We will show information at the navigation. Bosley locks have had virtually forum relating to this.

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Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

dry ponds. We are told that Bosley Reservoir Further mainline dredging is proposed on the in the has been under repair, but reservoirs feeding national 3 year programme of dredging for 2017-19. the Upper Peak Forest have been full and yet the water levels are still low. The water levels on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest pounds are maintained between -50mm & -70mm due to top level leakage and to prevent water loss. This has been the practice for many years now.

Due to a relatively dry summer and Bosley reservoir being off line, the water levels have fluctuated at times – the main thing that has been affected has been our ability to quickly recharge the pound with additional water on the Macclesfield side if this has become necessary.

The work at Bosley meant that we had to draw that off in preference to Toddbrook and Combs at the beginning of the summer rather than take a balanced approach to the draw down as we have in previous years so that the construction work could start.

Paul Monahan There seems to have been an increase in the To the end of September our waterway had had the second highest number of emergency stoppages over the number of navigation closures (89) in the summer of all the waterways. spring and summer, across the whole North West was worst (135) and North Wales and Border third (78). waterways system. Has the M&P region fared

worse than other areas, particularly on the Huddersfield Narrow and the Rochdale and However, 49 of these were unplanned for us compared to 23 on the Kennet can you ascribe a cause to this apparent and Avon. So we have the worst unplanned stoppage record this year by increase in incidents? some way.

Unfortunately we cannot readily compare that to previous years but will be able to in the future.

Many of the closures relate to the Huddersfield and Rochdale Canals. We aim to minimise closures as far as possible – this year it does feel that the Huddersfield has been particularly prone to voids causing problems. Its well established that the water way has the worst assert condition of all the Page 5

Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

waterways and overall, this continues to draw a more than even share of investment.

Looking ahead we seek to see investment in these waterways, we have on

going grouting programme and other measures to reduce leakage/ address voids.

I note a report in the waterways press In the absence of the specific articles referred to, we can only assume that describing weed planting in the Huddersfield they concerned the planting of Floating Water-plantain. Whilst the Trust is Narrow and Rochdale canals. It seems to me indeed a navigation authority, our Charitable Objects and statutory duties that, as you are a navigation authority, you also require us to “further … the conservation protection and improvement would be better engaged in removing weed from the canals. of the natural environment and landscape of Inland Waterways. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the respectively are designated as nationally and internationally important sites for their water plants including Floating Water-plantain. The planting works were undertaken by volunteers to conserve populations of the Floating Water- plantain in the designated sites for customers to enjoy, under work that was supported by external grant funding.

The population of Canada geese has Resident populations of Canada Geese in urban areas are increasing increased markedly on the northern canals, across the country as the birds are attracted by well-maintained municipal particularly in Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, areas, offering good grazing and access to water. The birds also tame Littleborough and Slaithwaite. The numbers easily and will come to be fed by people. As the enquirer recognises, lethal of these pests is such that visitor moorings are befouled to a very considerable extent. control of nuisance species such as Canada Geese is a very emotive Whilst a cull may be unpopular (especially issue. Non-lethal techniques generally involve modifying the birds’ habitat with some people in Hebden Bridge), have to make it less suitable for feeding and breeding. Techniques include the you considered any other means of control? installation of fencing to exclude birds from areas of water and/or adjacent areas of land, the use of audible or visual deterrents (scarers) and the discouragement of feeding by people – measures that prove challenging to implement on urban canals unless they are part of an integrated programme involving local landowners and the local community.

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Manchester and Pennine Waterway Customer Forum - Pre-Submitted Questions 10th November, Macclesfield / 12th November , Standedge

The northern canals, especially the Its our ambition to see greater use of these waterways and something that Rochdale, still suffer from a poor reputation, the Waterway partnership see as a priority too. particularly among southern boaters, and thus remain very much underused. I realise Apart from just the general numbers of locks which some will see as a that water supply is a problem and that Standedge tunnel needs to be staffed and detractor, lack of visitor moorings is often cited as an issue which we are controlled, but would CRT nationally looking to work on with volunteers and others as opportunities arise. encourage a greater use of these canals? Personally, I rather enjoy the canals being Its also been identified that the draw into Manchester is a starting point is quiet and little-used, but it must make the not as strong as it could be. We have plans to address this in the coming justification for further funding very difficult. year, and have bid for funds for improved moorings and facilities in the

area. If Manchester can become a more desirable dwelling point for boats we believe that this will help provide a spring board for people using the South Pennine Ring. What has happened to the ‘myrochdalecanal’ The MyRochdaleCanal website has been offline for a number of months due to website and will this be brought back into technical issues. We are working with the website host to resolve those issues and use? hope it will be available for use soon.

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