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Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust secretary Julie Arnold spent a day
on location with a BBC Midlands film crew to gather footage for a programme
on inland waterways in their series "Is Midlands Heritage under threat?",
looking at the problems faced by those trying to save and protect the
Midlands' most cherished areas and attractions.
BW representatative Darren Green was filmed at Middleport, along with
the beautifully restored Anderton Company building - an example of a structure
at risk that has been successfully restored and conserved under Townscape
Heritage Initiative scheme. The film crew then moved on to look at urban
sections of the Caldon Canal, between Bedford Street and Planet Lock,
where canal side landowners appear to have much less respect for the adjacent
waterway, debris is allowed to slip into the navigation and wash walls
are crumbling. Continuing on to rural locations, BBC presenter Bob Hockenhall
was filmed on and below Hazlehurst Aqueduct looking at the listed structure's
crumbling brickwork and described how the water from the top level Leek
branch appears to be leaking through to the canal below. This scene of
disrepair was linked to 'archive' footage of November 2006's Birmingham
boat blockade and volunteers protests against DEFRA's cuts in funding
to canals - as an example of the escalating decay that waterway users
everywhere fear.
 Later
in the day, passing boaters were interviewed about their experiences and
concerns along with Staffordshire Moorlands MP Charlotte Atkins who stressed
that if BW do not have funding and the means to maintain structures and
they collapse "it will become a much more expensive job after that".
And finally, we reached Froghall. Coincidently the sun came out and a
boat appeared from out of the tunnel and entered the restored first lock
of the Uttoxeter Canal. The film crew recorded the idyllic scene and 'access
for all' pathways and Julie explained the mismatch of between public funding
and the nation wide usage of waterways: "a lot of people are benefiting
from a very healthy way of life but they are not actually paying - there's
no turnstiles, no admission fees to come along and walk along this huge
network" of inland waterways.
The material was recorded on 24 September and broadcast on 4th October;
on 16th October there was major breach on Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
in south Wales, that will cost in the region of £1.5m to repair:
Britain's waterways heritage is at risk; please support the Trust in its
campaigns to protect the Caldon and Uttoxeter Canals.
As we go to press the programme may still be viewed here
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