Tinker Brook & CSO, Accrington - Visited By Ojay & Andyj23UK.
Our 3rd successive trip to Accrington, and our 2nd installment of culverts & drains for the day.
After spending the first half of the day mooching upstream of White Ash Brook, we now started further upstream of the Tinker Brook and worked our way back downstream, really continuing where we had left off on previous visits.
After having walked above ground for some distance, we spotted our entry point. Access proved tricky due to it's location so we headed further upstream and climbed down there. It was a gruelling 600 yards back to the culvert, by this time my ankles needed a rest, and so did Andyj :D
Before reaching the Infall, we had to climb down this rather slippy weir
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...Brook/Ramp.jpg
once down, I took this quick shot, and we made our way back underground for the next couple of hours (well almost).
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ok/Infall1.jpg
We carried on for some distance, suffering from CBA we didn't manage any piccy's of this first section.
Tbh same old same old... stonework, water, calcites, silt...FANNY PLASTERS & A SMELL OF FRESH? (HOLD ON A MINUTE).
I remember earlier whilst downstream of the White Ash Brook, where it joins the Tinker Brook that there was evidence of sewer overflow. I enquired with Andy as to if there was a CSO upstream... "Err, I think so".
Sure enough, after we made our way through the Outfall of the first section and managed to stumble 150 yards or so, there it was, the biggest f@@king Overflow I have seen.
Before you could say Step Iron's I was already up them and heading upwards to see what all the fuss was about.
Ahead was a large grille almost grinning at me, as I got closer it was locked, and no way of squeezing through either. I summonsed Andy for a closer look so we could go and try and find another way in.
As we looked through the grille we could both smell and hear the fresh. Also there was a processor above the main chamber, "reeto I need to find another way into this place, even if we get nothing else done today" - LOL.
How do I in CSO's
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...Brook/CSO1.jpg
After dicking around for severeal minutes we climbed the fence and went in search of manholes. The first one we lifted was directly above the processor, now I was happy to climb down onto this and into the sewer, but Andy had different ideas.
Ok, better not be irresponsible AGAIN, so I climbed in and shone my torch about, over the far side appeared to be some ladders, "Andy ladders".
Off we went in search of liddage, after a bit of digging we managed to locate it. At this point Andy wasn't too enthusiastic about going down, I can't think why, maybe the fact that the last CSO we encountered started to overflow with us still inside it :eek:
Anyway, down your ladders and In Your HoleZ I go to sniff some more shit and take a look around
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...rook/HoleZ.jpg
Once inside there was a walkway between the processor and the sewer itself
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...Brook/CSO2.jpg
Having looked over into the sewer I new I needed to get a closer look, there was a time I would have climbed down over the processor and in but not anymore, so out I went in search of more liddage.
Having scraped around for 5 minutes we uncovered a big heavy rusty manhole, it took some effort lifting it but I was soon in.
Once down you could see the combined sewer flowing out of this 5ft RCP,
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Fresh1.jpg
and down through a 2ft channel below passing underneath the processor
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...Processor1.jpg
I then hopped over the fresh and under the processor to follow the sewer downstream
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...Processor2.jpg
it eventually disappeared under a disused penstock and through a 2ft RCP, I had no intention of going down that :rolleyes:
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Fresh2.jpg
You can even see the tide marks on the wall where this has recently filled to almost capacity.
I can only assume that this system is also used as a storm overflow, as the sewer isn't all that big in comparison to the vast size of the Outfall.
Either way You wouldn't want to get trapped in here if it did...
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ok/Trapped.jpg
No way out through here, so back up the ladder for me
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Holez2.jpg
We then continued downstream, and wasn't long before we reached the next Infall
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Andyj1.jpg
This was a bit of a stooper, and rocky as fook and started to get deeper and deeper to the point where it was a case of wad0r fail :D
Eventually the levels dropped, and we were now underneath the canal at this point
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Andyj2.jpg
after around 400 yards the river split into two, in the form of concrete boxes
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...20Brook/Me.jpg
We chose the right hand side of the culvert and continued downstream until I spotted a curious hole on the left.
Andy informed me we were now below William Blythes Chemicals and that there was sluice controls etc above, but was a bit on top due to being a live site.
"Hmmmm, fuck it let's go take a look"
We climbed up some ladders into a plant room, and up some more ladders
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Plant2.jpg
Again there were another set of ladders up inside the fatory so off I went for a mooch about.
There appeared to be quite a bit of activity so back down we came and into the culvert as it was now getting late
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ook/Plant1.jpg
Eventually we passed underneath the factory and we could see daylight the other side
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...k/Outfall1.jpg
At this point the concrete box joined up with the other section and ahead was a CMP to the Outfall
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...k/Outfall2.jpg
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...k/Outfall3.jpg
We climbed out of the Outfall and followed the river down between the factory's for around 800 yards before calling it a day and heading back to the car, man I was soaked!
William Blythes Chemicals
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...ok/Blythes.jpg
Despite 3 visits now, i still need to get back, as there is so much more to see.
Thanks for looking :thumb
