A bouquet and a brickbat for BW

The bouquet is for the wording of a recent alert from Waterscape. It contains bad news, but - and here's the striking thing - it appears to have been written by a HUMAN! Here it is:

Restriction: Rochdale Canal

Summit Bookings Locks 37 and 36

Tuesday 29 June 2010 until further notice

You will probably know that in the North West we are going through the driest period since the 1920s. The continuing dry weather means that water supplies to the Rochdale Canal summit are looking increasingly uncertain and we have learned yesterday (Monday) that one of our other major feeds has been stopped. Without significant rainfall soon it now looks likely that the water supply to the summit area will run out some time in mid August, and we may shortly have no choice but to suspend navigation across the summit and in other parts of the canal until water supplies replenish.

For this reason we have stopped taking bookings for summit passages from mid August and are contacting people with bookings in the lead up to that period to discuss options with them. We are happy to keep a provisional bookings list for the period after this date in case the situation changes, but clearly we cannot commit to being able to fulfil these bookings.

With immediate effect we will be asking customers using Tuel Lock to double up, our lock keeper at the site will be controlling this.

Our trade team is in touch with boating businesses to discuss the situation and its implications for their operations and customers. Our moorings team are available to discuss concerns that moored customers may have.

Clearly this is not the news that I would want to be writing to you with, but I wanted to ensure that you have as much forewarning as possible so you can make appropriate plans. We will do our best to keep the canal open for as long as possible – we have been able to bring forward some planned works with this aim of and will keep you updated as the situation develops.

Enquiries: 01782 785703

More stoppages on this waterway: 
http://www.waterscape.com/canals-and-rivers/rochdale-canal/boating/stoppages

You can find all stoppages at the url below:
http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/stoppages

It even contains a personal pronoun, albeit without a signature.

Compare that with this, deserving of a brickbat, received two days ago (the first sentence is a cracker):

Restriction: Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

... Demand Management measures implemented last week have minimised the impact on users of remaining compliant with our abstraction limit on the River Usk. However levels in the Govilon pound have continued to fall over the course of the week and therefore it is considered necessary to implement additional measures to ensure the continued viability of the canal into the summer. Please note these measures amend those outlined in last week’s bulletin. ...

Both messages concern the lack of sufficient water for our canals; but the first one encourages sympathy with British Waterways for the position it finds itself in; the second is just gobbledegook, and engenders little sympathy.

(Things are not getting any better on the Rochdale: the latest is that only two boats in each direction will be allowed to use the locks either side of the summit level from Sunday 11th July to Sunday 15th August.)