FURTHER to your article, and comment on: The Canal and River Trust has announced its intention to remove 12 waste bins along the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from near Gargrave to Kildwick (Cash-strapped canal trust to remove bins from towpath in Craven, June 23 online and June 29 in paper). 

So that will mean more poo bags thrown into our hedges and over walls into my livestock, hurrah for the penny-pinchers.

The quite ridiculous statement that the Canal and River Trust (CART) carry out any maintenance is absurd.

At best, at least on the Silsden to Skipton branch, there is little evidence to support their claim. Indeed, there are bridges out of action, leaks, a towpath that exists in name only and, if anything does break, it’s merely patched up.

That’s not maintenance, that’s negligence. I’ve earned a reputation for assisting boaters through bridge 188 as it is, invariably, off its bearing. Moreover, if I’m not around, boaters take it upon themselves to ‘counterbalance’ the bridge by dismantling my farm wall.

This hasn’t happened once or twice, this is a weekly occurrence and, despite informing CART multiple times, nothing but platitudes.

Considering boaters fees have increased twice in as many years, it would be interesting to obtain a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request to assess exactly where the money is being spent, because it certainly isn’t here.

 

Phil Baptiste

Kildwick

(Note - the Canal and River Trust has been asked to respond)