I have been on the Severn for fifty years and at the moment all weirs from Lincombe lock to Gloucester lock have water running over, writes Bill Price.
So the pound levels are all six to eight foot deep as designed.
Maisemore Weir has been like that (pictured) for years mainly for fish. Bristol water are taking God knows how much water out and Sharpness docks are still working.
So pumps have to be used at Gloucester when the Frome and the Cam can't put in enough water. So since pumps were installed silt is pumped into the docks, the old dredger is still there and they dredged all the time until it was stopped by new regulations.
New pumps and filters have been installed but the filters don't work, as in 2019 they filled the lock up with mud so vast amount of money is spent dredging as they always have and they have now shut the lock because of the silt being pumped in the not low water levels.
They [the trust] only gave three days notice to shut the lock and I and others were too far away to get back, which is most unfair, a week's notice like the other closurers on the system would have enabled many to get back.
Have suggested they organise a locking once or twice a week but it fell on deaf ears. This would make no difference to water levels as water is still going over the weirs. So the real reason for closure is because of the silt.