I have just received this by email from a BCNS member and thought you
might be interested......

Today I received a copy of a letter sent by BW in the form of Jon
Oakes, Business Development Manager, West Midlands Waterway to Rt Hon
J F Spellar MP. I had written to John Spellar (my local MP)
complaining about the DEFRA cuts. When he forwarded the government
response saying effectively that BW's grant had been increased to
clear a maintenance backlog and was being reduced now this had been
achieved, I wrote back saying that in my area (Smethwick/Black
Country) there is still a backlog of maintenance jobs. I listed well
known issues such as Netherton Tunnel, but also some less well known
ones, including the Wednesbury Oak Loop (from Deepfields Junction to
BW's Bradley Workshops) which has been closed to navigation since 4
May 2005 because of a dangerous bridge.
However, Mr Oakes interpreted my question as referring to a quite
different canal: "the section of the Wednesbury Old Canal which leads
to the Ridgeacre Canal" (presumably from Ryder's Green Junction to
the Black Country Route culvert - sometimes this section is confused
with the Ridgeacre Branch which begins beyond the culvert and was
closed to navigation when the culvert was built). He
wrote "unfortunately this is a very rarely used short arm and has
subsequently become overgrown and unnavigable. We do not consider it
is a priority to maintain the channel for all navigation in this
location. The towpath does remain usable, but costs to restore full
usage are disproportionate to the amenity and benefit this would
generate. We continue to monitor the situation and will renew our
position once circumstances allow".
Note that unlike the Wednesbury Oak Loop, there is no stoppage listed
for Wednesbury Old Canal on waterscape.com (or, for that matter, in
the winter stoppage program).
I did once read a story of fish dying as a result of toxic sediment
stirred up when some boaters attempted to navigate this section some
time ago, but have not read anything since. (I myself have never
navigated the section, only the main bit from Ryder's Green Locks to
Pudding Green Junction.) However this is the first time I have seen
BW state in writing that it is no longer navigable - and that in a
letter to an MP. So, is this the first closure of the cuts?