Shipley-born boss moves business to Apperley Bridge to beat closure (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
Shipley-born boss moves business to Apperley Bridge to beat closure
9:30am Sunday 1st August 2010 in
The boss of a canal boat business is shipping his vessels across the Pennines to prevent them being marooned when a section of the drought-hit Leeds-Liverpool canal is made off limits today.
Lee Shepherd is moving his hire boat outfit temporarily from its base in Lancashire to Apperley Bridge.
And, in a way, he is coming back to his roots, for the 40-year-old former soldier was brought up in Airedale.
The retired Warrant Officer, who saw service in Afghanistan, was born in Shipley, brought up in Wyke and lived for a time in Haworth at Low Brow Farm, before joining up in Bradford in 1988.
Now he is returning to Yorkshire to run his hire boat business, Hapton Valley Locks, which he set up in 2009, from Apperley Bridge until the closure is lifted.
A fortnight ago British Waterways announced it was to close a 60-mile section of the canal from Gargrave, near Skipton, to Wigan, because of a shortage of water.
It left Mr Shepherd’s business trapped in the locked section and facing the prospect of cancelling holidays. However, he has arranged for holidaymakers to sail East through Skipton, and Bingley Five Rise locks to the new temporary base.
He said: “The customers are happy to be going towards Yorkshire and the beautiful countryside and going through the famous Five Rise locks.
Comments(14)
Mike Strutter
says...
10:30am Sun 1 Aug 10
Joedavid wrote:Another classic comment from our resident clown
It is about time the owners of this canal sorted this water problem out.
To me they just let the water run down hill and out to the river and sea.
Why do they not pump water used in the locks back to the top of the lock and recycle it?
Andraste
says...
12:36pm Sun 1 Aug 10
Mike Strutter wrote:I think you'll find that that prize goes to 'albion' (and surprisingly, not me) :(
Joedavid wrote:Another classic comment from our resident clown
It is about time the owners of this canal sorted this water problem out.
To me they just let the water run down hill and out to the river and sea.
Why do they not pump water used in the locks back to the top of the lock and recycle it?
Joedavid
says...
1:38pm Sun 1 Aug 10
albion
says...
2:17pm Sun 1 Aug 10
Andraste wrote:Do they have w*g clowns?
Mike Strutter wrote:I think you'll find that that prize goes to 'albion' (and surprisingly, not me) :(
Joedavid wrote:Another classic comment from our resident clown
It is about time the owners of this canal sorted this water problem out.
To me they just let the water run down hill and out to the river and sea.
Why do they not pump water used in the locks back to the top of the lock and recycle it?
The cost of engineering a water recycling system for locks would I suspect be far too expensive, especially in the current economic climate.
Joedavid
says...
7:16pm Sun 1 Aug 10
Plus a pipe from the bottom of the lock to the top.
Run it at night on cheaper electric too.
albion
says...
7:46pm Sun 1 Aug 10
Joedavid wrote:Not wishing to spend hours debating it but as a former engineer I can assure you that it would cost a great deal.
Do not see why so expensive, there are water pumps in use all over the place in all shapes and sizes.
Plus a pipe from the bottom of the lock to the top.
Run it at night on cheaper electric too.
mrs walker
says...
1:43pm Mon 2 Aug 10
albion
says...
1:46pm Mon 2 Aug 10
mrs walker wrote:Snigger.
Albion. Please stop using such unpleasant racist terms in your posts. That's the second time you've used that in the last few days. I may not agree with your opinions, but I did like to think that your intelligence lay above using such horrible and offensive insults. Asterisking a vowel out does not make it any less disgusting.
albion
says...
1:55pm Mon 2 Aug 10
mrs walker
says...
2:03pm Mon 2 Aug 10
albion
says...
2:06pm Mon 2 Aug 10
DCarbz
says...
4:24pm Mon 2 Aug 10
Not all locks are like they are in the Bradford - Leeds area (staircase) so you could not pump back from one pound to another because the lower pound/locks require the water from above fill the pound/lock below. At Gargrave for example the water would need pumping back to Bank Newton.
Mel-Sterlands-Love-Child
says...
3:41pm Tue 3 Aug 10
They should pump the water back from the delta to the source.
More News stories
- 'Yorkshire Ripper' T-shirt is taken off sale after pressure
- Bid to wrap up Odeon in time for City Park opening in doubt
- Major blaze at Keighley fish and chip shop
- Child taken to hospital with serious injuries after collision
- Families in Bradford face tax credit hit
- ‘More geese may have to be culled’ at Leeds-Bradford Airport
- Royal Mail to close three delivery offices
- Expert ‘gutted’ at Bradford traders’ no-show
- Ilkley developer leaves Caribbean island
- Town ‘ready to take over car parks’
Lee Shepherd, left, and a workmate
Most popular
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Joedavid says...
9:57am Sun 1 Aug 10
To me they just let the water run down hill and out to the river and sea.
Why do they not pump water used in the locks back to the top of the lock and recycle it?