A good scientific demonstration of mean high water marks, via the medium of swan faeces. Sunday, 6th July 2014.
Fancy hiring a boat for a bit of fun? Don’t fall in. Sunday, 6th July 2014.
Of late, Lichfield District Councillors and Staffordshire County Council have been cock-a-hoop about Chasewater – they’ve suddenly discovered our local reservoir, and just how fine it is – but there’s a bit of a problem.
The same Councillors who, when the shit was hitting the fan over the botched dam works, were nowhere to be seen, have all of a sudden started excitedly crowing about new attractions, volunteer crusades, shuttle busses, community farms and centres of watersports excellence.
They’ve even splashed the cash on a new website.
It’s almost as if they’d been trying not to notice the place for years, and don’t actually have a clue what goes on there or what it’s famous for, but have twigged that it’s recently really popular and there’s a chance for a bit of reflected glory.
Here’s a message for the council and Burghers of Burntwood: you’ve spent thousands relaying perfectly decent walkways in a rather pointless tarting up exercise: shame you couldn’t extend the largesse to an operative with a jetwash to clean the birdshit from around the boating pool on a regular basis.
It’s a bloody disgrace.
Get it sorted, it can’t be healthy. Food is sold and consumed not 20 metres away. This has been getting worse for weeks.
I know about and have highlighted the discarded bread issue before; but this is almost 100% bird waste.
Before we lay on the shuttle busses or start building stuff, can we clean the excrement off and get other basics right, please?
Burntwood by the sea my hairy arse.
There’s some lovely smooth tarmac under all that poo. Sunday, 6th July 2014.
Peopl prefer walking on the grass to the shit-strewn new walkway.. Sunday, 6th July 2014.
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Come off it – Walsall had that site for donkey’s years and let it run down it was a load of tat. Lichfield have at least had a go and you can walk around – obviously not by the boating pool. But bird shit beats dog shit any day. There are some lovely little picnic areas round and about and on a sunny day its beautiful. The only problem I have with Lichfield council is off road motor bikes blasting along the towpath from Chasewater up to the A5, from 9pm to 11.30pm – try and do something about that one too, they are a danger to walkers and cyclists alike.
Hi ‘David’
I’d just make a few points if I may:
1. Chasewater isn’t under the control of Lichfield District Council anymore. It’s wholly managed by Staffordshire, which is when the grounds maintenance went downhill, in my opinion.
2. Whatever Walsall did or didn’t do, it was a long time ago. I’m talking here and now. In the here and now, Walsall’s parks – the Arbo, King George V, Kings Hill, Palfrey etc. are actually generally excellently managed – there’s nothing like the bird mess here at the Arboretum.
3. I’m no fan of Walsall. Had this been their mess I’d criticise them for it.
4. The bird mess is disgusting. Lots of folk unhappy about it. It’s reasonably trivial to keep clean, so why not do it?
5. There’s plenty of dog mess at Chasewater, for which I blame the minority of antisocial dog owners. Watch where you’re walking.
6. Chasewater has had no bigger advocate than me over the years.
7. That area of the canal is aright on the border. Have a word with the Police and they may put an antisocial behaviour patrol down there, but ultimately as private land, the responsibility is that of the Canal & River Trust. It’s absolutely nothing to do with Lichfield Council what goes on there and they have no jurisdiction.
And finally – why use a different alias to normal? I have no problem (obviously) with anonymity, but please keep the same alias.
Cheers
Bob
How about some god damn local amenities before you start loading up on ways to separate the locals from money? I went for a run around the lake a few times in the last 2 months, and have to cut it short because I’m passing out in the heat. The best i got offered was a dirty hose by the side of the canoe shed, off some spotty volunteer who thought he was funny. Adding the lack of toilets, dog bins etc. and you really begin to wonder why anyone WILL bother going there, even with more ‘attractions’. Each time i’ve been there, they’ve pulled in at least £1000 in wakeboarders alone.
Let’s not pretend that the council it’s under makes a difference. chasewater’s always looked the same, been cared for the same… it’s only with pride and activity that you get it turned into something you want.
I work at Coppice ind est in Brownhills and just before dusk thousands of seagulls fly from the tips in Walsall Wood, somebody told me that they spend the night over Chasewater and pools in the area and they contaminate the water so much so that some water reserves scare the seagulls off.
Bob
I was not using an alias my hubby asked me to make the comments, I have no problem with putting my name to anything that I say. I more often than not think before I speak, unless I care so much for something and then I just let go sometimes without thinking. Who knows who owns what anymore. Contact the local bobbies, are you having a laugh, Walsall don’t want to know as its in Lichfield – and Lichfield don’t want to know as they have to cross the border as its in the West Midlands. These kids on their motor bikes shove off the young kids on their bmx bikes and they are a real nuisance to all and sundry. I agree that the birds droppings is a mess, but like everything else round here it’s all ignored. Now THAT is me speaking.
Hi Edwina
Fair enough.
The ownership of Chasewater matters, and has been discussed here lots – particularly as it changed hands this year. We must commence as we mean to go on, and bring these things to the attention of those responsible, as I find more often than not that actually, if stuff is raised, problems do get resolved.
The local bizzies have actually been historically good with off road vehicle abuse, acting over the border on Engine Lane and the common – I shall raise the matter with them. Again, we’ve had success here before.
No issue will ever get fixed if we just fatalistically state it’ll be ignored. Let’s see what can be done.
Cheers
Bob
Then there are those of us who can’t walk and have to use a wheelchair, which is not an easy option on the grass. So we have to then spend a while cleaning off this crap off the wheelchair wheels before we go anywhere. While I’ve got ya ……if you think its a problem when you step in dog poo! You want to try getting it out of the tread on a wheelchair.
Jolly good point Colin, and one a few forget. I protested in very strong terms to London Midland when there was continued dog fouling of the access ramp at Blake Street for precisely this reason.
It must be horrid for wheelchair users.
Cheers
Bob
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