Safer route over lock gates

LIFE is much easier for boaters leaving the River Trent and joining the Trent & Mersey Canal thanks to a new structure at Derwent Mouth Lock.

Until this year, boaters and walkers using a public footpath had to cross over the top of the lock gates.

Now the Canal & River Trust has provided a wide walkway alongside the top gates, providing a safe route for walkers using the footpath to Great Wilne and Draycott.

It will also be welcomed by boaters using the lock this summer.

At one time the lock had a keeper’s cottage on the opposite side to the towpath, and everything going to and from the cottage had to be carried over the top of the lock gates.

If only the lock keepers of yesteryear could have enjoyed today’s new luxury!

PHOTOS: LES HEATH Until its demolition many years ago, everything going to and from a lock keeper’s cottage had to be carried over the gates. The path from the cottage door to the lock side (in the foreground) is all that remains today.