Ashton Canal could re-open 14th May

Repairs to Lock 8 of the Ashton Canal at Clayton got under way today after a series of delays. British Waterways have said that the work should be completed next week and hope to have the canal re-opened on Thursday 14th May.

The closure follows an incident on 21st April in which heavy duty wire becoming entangled in a lock gate. The cable, which had come from the adjacent Clayton Anoline demolition site, became wrapped around part of a tail gate, preventing the gate from being operated.

Following investigation it was discovered that "significant damage" had been caused to the tail gate and lower cill. Repairs required a full dewatering of the long pound between Locks 7 and 8. This meant BW had to obtain consent from the Environment Agency to carry out a fish rescue.

Once the pound was dewatered, it was apparent that "significant repairs" were required to the tail gate cills and lock floor. As this is a listed structure, consent had to be obtained from Manchester City Council's Conservation Officer.

This stoppage affects boaters travelling around the Cheshire Ring and the South Pennine Ring.

BW staff setting up pumps to drain water from the bottom of the lock so that they can carry out repairs.

Examples of the wire cable that had caused the damage to the lock. The house bricks give an idea of the thickness of the wire strands.