An investigation has begun into who left the tap running on a Holmfirth bath over 40 years ago. Unfortunately for local ramblers the bath is situated on a Holmfirth Footpath and has turned the popular walking route into something of a quagmire.
“It’s like the bloody Everglades along there” said stalwart rambler and long time member of Peak & Southern Footpaths Society Benny Rothmans. “It probably only needs a washer or maybe they can’t find the stop tap”.
PathWatch spoke to the Council’s Strategic Director of Drips, Mr Grubby Tide-Mark, who told us that after commissioning a plumbing expert from B&Q at a cost of £10,000 it hadn’t been possible to establish who had left the tap running. “All we know is that it was around 1979 when the bath appeared in this particular field and the tap has been running since then”
PathWatch asked the obvious question. Can’t you just turn off the tap? “Unfortunately our legal advice is that this cannot be done. As the bath has been there for at least 40 years it may now be a legal limitation to the right off way ” Mr Tide-Mark explained. “There is now likely to be a public inquiry into the matter and the path with a bath may remain as it is for some years to come. It’s important we don’t take short term reactive measures like just turning the tap off as this may not be the right thing to do and could have serious legal implications.It would also mean we’d actually have to do something” continued the council manager with a completely straight face.
“On the plus side we’ve duped some locals into forming a Friends Of The Path With A Bath Group and hope to raise funds by selling soap on a rope and toe nail clippers that can be used as an interactive feature by ramblers whilst walking the Path With A Bath. We think this might create a whole new visitor experience for Holmfirth and if the Friends Group raise enough funds we may even have a cardboard cutout of Compo placed in the bath”
Path Watch 