Harecastle Tunnel breakdown

A hire narrowboat broke down in Harecastle Tunnel last week. 

Here’s the story in the local Stoke Sentinel paper by Katie Cooksey.

Here’s intelligent comment by Sentinel columnist Tom Whiteley.

It's astonishing to read the reported refusal of the firemen and BW tunnel staff to go into the tunnel to investigate the problem – despite the boaters saying they sounded their horn and followed all the rules.

If the reports are correct, what is the point of all the preparatory safety rigamarole - of BW staff wearing pointless lifejackets, of tunnel boats, of the sheet of instructions they hand you in the event of breakdown, of all the fearsome warning signs at ever piddly little tunnel over a couple of chains long – if no-one investigates?

On the other hand, you know what newspaper reports are like.  The local BW staff might well have a reasonable excuse.

You couldn't ask for better timing: Dogsontour blogsontunnels. Greygal this week gave us her own list of her top ten favourite tunnels to break down in. 

I wonder which hire company’s boat it was?

Comments

[Martin]

Petrol engine????

[Sarah]

That's another Sarah. I like tunnels!

[Sarah]

I'm not sure I'd remain enamoured of any tunnel if I got stuck in one. Definitely a Room 101 contender along with spiders and rats.