The EA... Fit for purpose?

Alpha22

Alpha22

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What I am about the relate happened today.... 18th June.

Before I start, a little background info on the River Great Ouse.
It is a navigable waterway with locks that runs from Bedford to the Wash... with some confusing interconnections along the way.
Only two of the locks have keepers, the rest are a combination of manual and electric guillotines. Boater operated
It is managed by the EA for its entire length.

I noticed a tweet today :-
EnvAgencyAnglian (@EnvAgencyAnglia)
18/06/2014 11:25 am
Please be aware Eaton Socon lock, Great Ouse, will be closed due to emergency essential maintenance work to replace the guillotine gate...
Click to expand...
and thought "Oh no, I'm intending using that lock really soon." so I set about finding the details, like when and how long for???

I went to the website initially... https://www.gov.uk/anglian-waterways-river-conditions-closures-and-restrictions
Closures - NONE.

So I called the contact centre... spoke to a nice man there who was ever so helpful.... he tried and tried.... asked lots of people for help, but all he could tell me was there are only two locks on the Gt Ouse, Hermatage and Denver and no sir, absolutely no closures and if there are other locks, they are nothing to do with the EA. Thank you, have a nice day!

Eventually a boating friend responded to my plea as he had been sent an email by the EA, days ago, with a copy of the lock closure as he USED to sit on the committee of GOBA, a voluntary boaters organisation based on the Gt Ouse.

It turns out the planned maintenance is tomorrow and is to replace a gearbox on the gate and the lock will be closed for a maximum of 3 hours.

Now re-read the original tweet......

Tossers!!!!
 
As ever, they certainly have their finger on the pulse!

If I remember right, Hermitage and Denver Sluice are the two manned locks that you spoke of.

Took me two minutes to find the link below on the EA website, so the "nice man" was very badly informed :confused:

[URL="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289842/gean0911budn-e-e.pdf"[/URL]

Malc
 
Sorry, seems the hyperlink didn't upload correctly (I'll get the hang of this forum posting thing soon). It is a full map of the Great Ouse, stating that there are "25 Environment Agency locks".

Malc
 
Alpha22 said:
spoke to a nice man there who was ever so helpful....
Click to expand...

The nice man wasn't called Richard was he? I have spent most of the day trying to fill in the Anglian area river licence form today but sections that say tick all that apply would only allow one tick, the digital signature would not recognise mine and then the submit form button clicked but did nothing, so I too phoned the EA and Richard was very polite and helpful but after some time came back to say that since the form got transferred to the gov.uk site it has has bugs..... Not helpful to me as I want my licence lol. I have tried to email them a copy but got a reply saying thanks for your email we will try to respond in 10 working days... Blimey then it also says the licence could take 10 days to be processed, no boating for us this month then:disgust:
 
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My mate once said.........

You are on the Gt Ouse..... The chances of getting picked up without a licence are greater than a million to one!!!! Just don't use Hermatage lock.
Send in the application - Seriously post is your best bet, but follow up with a phone call a few days later.
Use the boat.
There are dozens of unlicensed boats that are making no effort at all to get a licence. As long as you are making an effort they will leave you alone. It takes months and months and £100's to prepare a case to take to court..... if there is any danger at all that you will get a licence before they can get it to court they won't bother.

But of course it would be totally wrong to follow that advice.......
 
You are right. Quite simply, the Anglian Region of the EA is not fit for purpose and hasn't been for a very long time.

The licence fee is more expensive than the Thames (depending on your length), the maintenance programme is shambolic, dredging non-existant and the 3 hard-pushed full-time River Inspectors struggle to manage 158 miles of navigable waterways.

Roll on CaRT
 
Alpha22 said:
My mate once said.........

You are on the Gt Ouse..... The chances of getting picked up without a licence are greater than a million to one!!!! Just don't use Hermatage lock.
Send in the application - Seriously post is your best bet, but follow up with a phone call a few days later.
Use the boat.
There are dozens of unlicensed boats that are making no effort at all to get a licence. As long as you are making an effort they will leave you alone. It takes months and months and £100's to prepare a case to take to court..... if there is any danger at all that you will get a licence before they can get it to court they won't bother.

But of course it would be totally wrong to follow that advice.......
Click to expand...

Spent last Saturday on the Gt Ouse, my old cruising ground, in a small hire craft from Purvis Marine Huntingdon. After a mile or so heading towards St Ives I was surprised to see a very formal looking Environment Agency craft in police type colours pulling over a Fairline Mirage ! No idea what it was all about but in my 8 years on the EA Eastern Area Rivers (1990 - 1998) I never saw any official craft at all.
 
They have one or two 'police' style boats now they are quite new. Quite a rare sight and I've not known of anyone being pulled over though. Perhaps they are getting tough(er)....
 
Alpha22 said:
They have one or two 'police' style boats now they are quite new. Quite a rare sight and I've not known of anyone being pulled over though. Perhaps they are getting tough(er)....
Click to expand...

Of course, rather than buying something modest they will be brand new and over specced.
 
The EA... Fit for purpose?

I regret to say that I am seriously concerned that the EA is far from being fit for purpose as far as managing the non tidal Thames is concerned. They appear to have no remit or responsibility whatsoever with regard to the promotion of the river as a recreational and commercial resource. Their only statutory duty appears to be maintaining the fabric of the navigation and ensuring the fairway is navigable.
 
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apollo said:
Of course, rather than buying something modest they will be brand new and over specced.
Click to expand...

Could it be this lot? http://www.norfolk.police.uk/safetyadvice/broadsbeat/ourteam.aspx Apparently in part paid for by sponsorship of local businesses and formed in response to local requests for a presence on the waterways after they had previously withdrawn to save money. Seems very successful and the vessel doesn't look over specced either. Seems they've got the Orkney style boat and a second hand donated RIB.

I've no idea mind as I'm not from the area and not quite so cynical either.
 
Alpha22 said:
WOW they do that on the Thames!! It would be a great starting point if they attempted that on the EA Anglian waterways
Click to expand...

No, they only keep middle third dredged, then let every cheapskate going hold a regatta on it for no charge and force us into the shallows.
Definitely positively not fit for purpose
 
apollo said:
No, they only keep middle third dredged, then let every cheapskate going hold a regatta on it for no charge and force us into the shallows.
Definitely positively not fit for purpose
Click to expand...
Not wanting to sound like a whinging git, ... a third of the river dredged... wow that would be great!!!!
 
Not sure if this Twitter link will work;

https://twitter.com/Green_Boats

but a sad tale of a boat being sunk at Oxford despite an offer to the EA to sort it out before it did so, being told by the EA "it's not a pollution risk." "only with owner's permission." Now sunk with a 200m oil slick.

Similar in a way to the EA knowing about shoals & not even marking them (let alone dredging); perhaps it is about time boaters/companies who can do something just got on with it & resolved themselves.
 
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