Express & Star

Canal’s new inflatable warning

A large inflatable buoy has been introduced in a town centre in the Black Country in a bid to stop people falling into water.

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WALSALL COPYRIGHT EXPRESS&STAR TIM THURSFIELD-26/11/20 A giant inflatable Canal and River Trust buoy with the wording 'deep water' on it has been placed on the water at town wharf, Walsall, near the art gallery, to stop people accidentally walking into it!.

The inflatable marker – with the words "deep water" – has been introduced in the heart of Walsall town centre by the Canal & River Trust.

It has been placed in the water by Gallery Square – near the New Art Gallery and Bar10 – after the stretch claimed a number of victims.

Rebecca Whitehouse, area operation manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: "We’ve installed this safety buoy at Walsall Basin to remind people to stay safe when visiting the basin and canal.

A giant inflatable Canal and River Trust buoy with the wording 'deep water' on it has been placed on the water in Walsall, near the art gallery.

"We had a few incidents last year with people falling into the basin so we want to remind people to take care, especially this time of year with the dark evenings and sometimes icy towpaths, to take extra care when walking next to water and to stay away from the edge.”

A man once drove his six-month-old BMW into the canal basin after mistaking a blanket of algae for grass after becoming lost. Customers from the bar – then known as The Wharf Bar – ran to his rescue as the car started floating on its side as the man tried to escape.

It led to him being pulled to safety through the window of his car as it filled with water – with the vehicle falling in completely.

The driver is not the first person to make such a mistake. In 1999, a Walsall pensioner drove a brand new £16,000 Rover 400 into the same basin.

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