Macclesfield Wall Repairs

Earlier this month it was reported that the stoppage on the Macclesfield Canal for the repair of the wall collapse had been lifted earlier than expected.
The navigation has indeed been restored, however the towpath will remain closed, as the re-building of the wall is still under way.

The latest photo from Debby Francis, the repair is a major task.


Macclesfield wall repairs, photo: Debby Francis
The massive slab of retaining wall that collapsed onto the towpath a year ago has now been removed, with stones being kept for re-use.

A substantial concrete wall has been constructed, which has been back-filled.

A stone facing is now being added using reclaimed stone and lime mortar to match the original structure as far as possible. As can be seen in the photo, the concrete wall, which will be hidden, will take all the weight of the access road that will run above it and of the hillside behind.

Opening Times at Salterhebble Guillotine Lock

The mechanical problem with Salterhebble Guillotine Lock on the Calder and Hebble Navigation which happened in May 2008, has still not been resolved. The guillotine gate is still having to be manually operated by BW staff.

From 30th March, the Guillotine Lock will be operated by BW staff during the following periods only:
• 9.00 am - 10.00 am daily
• 12.00 noon - 2.00 pm daily
• 4.00 pm - 6.00 pm daily

(Before 30th March the lock will only be operated between 12.00 noon and 1.00 pm daily.)

For enquiries about Salterhebble Guillotine Lock, contact British Waterways on 0113 281 6860.

Weir Repair Completed - Calder and Hebble Re-opened

The temporary repair of Cooper Bridge Weir on the Calder and Hebble Navigation has been completed a few days earlier than expected.

The river has filled up quickly behind the repaired weir and the navigation has now been re-opened.

This means that boaters trapped for weeks on the Calder and Hebble Navigation will be able to leave their moorings. Access has also been restored to the Huddersfield Broad Canal, which leaves the Calder and Hebble immediately above Cooper Bridge Weir.

BW have said that the repair will be a short term solution to get the navigation re-opened and that a permanent solution which will be carried out as part of the stoppage programme in 2011.

Cooper Bridge Weir. Photo: Mike Fretwell

Liverpool Canal Link Opened!

In what was intended to be a low-key ceremony, the Liverpool Canal Link was officially opened today in front of huge crowds at the Pier Head.

Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram, with other invited guests, travelled along the Link from Princes Dock aboard the Pride of Sefton. The boat emerged from the tunnel at the Pier Head to loud cheers.

British Waterways Chairman Tony Hales thanks the crowd for coming and praises the successful efforts of the various parties that have worked together to ensure the creation of the link. The Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheram, then said that the Pier Head was now a must-see destination.



The actual opening was carried out by a group of children from New Park Primary School, who unveiled a plaque.

The Pride of Sefton then continued into the final tunnel towards Mann Island Lock and Canning Dock.

It passed through the new lock at Mann Island and entered Canning Dock. After travelling through the famous Albert Dock, it moored up in Salthouse Dock for the guests to disembark. It was joined by the flotilla of boats that had travelled down into Liverpool for the opening.

The Link will not open for boaters properly until April 20th. More information for boaters considering coming to Liverpool can be found here.

Larger versions of these photos, along with others, can be found on this new page.

A BBC news report and video on the opening event can be seen here.


See more photos here.

Work To Begin On Cooper Bridge Weir

British Waterways and their contractors have started work this week on the repair of Cooper Bridge Weir on the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

The photo, from Mike Fretwell, shows how large stones have been dropped into the space between the weir and a line of sheet piles to create an access route for vehicles to reach the location of the collapsed section of weir.


Cooper Bridge Weir. Photo: Mike Fretwell

It can be seen in the photos shown in January and February that the sheet piling was already in place next to the weir at the time of the collapse. This suggests that a repair to an earlier partial failure of the weir was planned.

BW have said that the repair will be a short term solution to get the navigation re-opened and that a permanent solution which will be carried out as part of the stoppage programme in 2011.

The very low level of water above the weir not only makes the Calder and Hebble unnavigable but also prevents access to or from the Huddersfield Broad Canal, which branches off immediately abov ethe weir.

British Waterways hopes that the work can be completed by 29th March. However, because of large volume of water required to refill empty river section, a review will be undertaken Monday 30th March to determine when safe passage will be possible.

BW will issue a further update on 30th March.

Liverpool Canal Link - What Boaters Need to Know

Details are emerging of the arrangements that British Waterways is making for boats visiting Liverpool by way of the new canal link which opens shortly.

A description of the way these arrangements will operate can be found here on the Pennine Waterways web site.

Anyone hoping to take a boat to Liverpool should phone BW in Wigan as there are already 150 boats on the waiting list!


An announcement is expected in a few days about the date when boaters will be allowed to start using the new canal route. BW wants to ensure that facilities such as water points are available before boats arrive at the new pontoons in Salthouse Dock.

Peak Forest Canal - Pollution Update

The Stoppage which has completely closed the Lower Peak Forest Canal continues.

Clearance of the oil that seeped into the canal from a ruptured underground storage tank on a site near Manchester Road is currently under way.

There is little visible sign of the pollution now except a thin film of oil on the surface in places between Hyde and Ashton. However, much of the heavy lubricating oil has now sunk to the bottom of the canal. There have been no reports of any dead fish on that section of canal although the RSPCA were called out to deal with ducks and geese who had to have their feathers cleaned.

BW will issue a further update on 30th March.

See photos on earlier post.

Jammed Key Shuts Bridge

BW has announced an emergency stoppage at Glovers Swing Bridge, number 33, just east of Lathom Junction, where the Rufford Arm begins.

The reason for the stoppage is that a broken key had become stuck in the lock, rendering the bridge unoperable.

Contractors have been called out and BW will issue an update when repairs have been completed.

Peak Forest Clear-up Under Way

The Lower Peak Forest Canal remains closed this week as efforts to clear up oil pullution continue.

A thin film of oil is visible next to one of the booms near Globe Lane , Dukinfield.

Teams from British Waterways and the Environment Agency were called to the canal last Friday when a large area of oil pollution was spotted north of Manchester Road Bridge (6) in Hyde. The spillage was close to where a factory is being demolished. It is reported that an underground tank storing heavy lubricating oil may have ruptured, although this has not been confirmed.

When the incident was confirmed, BW initially closed the section of canal between bridges 4 and 6 so that boats would not spread the pollution. However, the flow on the canal from the locks at Marple caused oil to move downstream towards Ashton.

BW then closed Marple locks to reduce water movement along the Lower Peak Forest Canal and placed a number of booms across the canal at bridge holes to help contain the pollution.

Some of the oil has dispersed downstream and there is still a thin film of oil visible in places, particularly near the booms across the canal.

British Waterways is advising that the clear-up could take a substantial period of time. A further update will be issued once there a clear indication when the navigation can be re-opened.

Booms across the canal at Stanley Lift Bridge, Dukinfield.


Barrier across the entrance to the Peak Forest Canal on Dukinfield Aqueduct at Portland Basin.

Boaters Hinder Weed Clear-up

The Stainforth and Keadby Canal (part of the South Yorkshire Navigation) has been closed for the last two weeks between Mauds Swing bridge and Crowle due to a very dense mat of weed. A BW team has been brought in and has spent the last week or so removing the weed.

The clearance was almost complete and BW had announced that the canal would be re-opened on Thursday 18th March.

Unfortunately some impatient boaters disregarded the stoppage notice and passed through the affected section of canal on Wednesday morning, widely dispersing the remaining weed.

This has added another two days work to the clearance operation and the canal will not now be re-opened until some time on Friday afternoon (19th March).

Peak Pollution Spreads

The whole of the Lower Peak Forest Canal has now been closed to navigation following the "pollution incident" near Hyde, reported here last week.

The canal was initially closed to navigation only between Dunkirk Lane Bridge (4) and Manchester Road Bridge (6), in order to restrict the effects of the pollution. However, due to the extent of the oil slick and impact on the environment, the stoppage has now been extended from Stanley Lift Bridge (1) in Dukinfield, to Marple Top Lock.

The locks themselves have had to be closed in order to minimise water movement on the lower section of the canal.

A contractor is expected to begin work today on the clearing up required. British Waterways is advising that the operation could take a substantial period of time.

A further update will be issued by BW once there a clear indication when the navigation can be re-opened.

Part of the Rochdale Canal was closed for several weeks last summer following an incident involving dumped pesticide, which killed large quantities of fish and plant life.

Ledgard Lock re-opening delayed

Two days ago it was reported that work on Ledgard Flood Lock, on the Calder and Hebble Navigation, was on time and scheduled to finish at the end of this week.

Due to the unforeseen circumstances of vandalism and a delay in getting the road closure needed for positioning the crane, the work has been delayed and the new lock gates will be installed later than expected.

The stoppage has therefore been extended for a week and work is now expected to be completed by 20th March.

Shepley Bridge Lock will remain closed until then to preserve the water level in the lock cut between Ledgard and Shepley Bridge, where the Mirfield moorings are situated.

Boaters of South Pennine Boat Club are also stranded, as their moorings are at Battyeford Lock, between the stoppages at Ledgard and Cooper Bridge.

Ledgard Stop Lock. Photo: Mike Fretwell

Macclesfield Re-opens Early

You will see reports that some stoppages elsewhere are being extended as new problems come to light. However, there is good news for boaters based on the Macclesfield Canal, as the stoppage just south of Macclesfield has been lifted a week early, as work has been completed ahead of time.

The work was not scheduled to be finished until 13th March but the early completion means that the canal is already open.

The massive slab of retaining wall collapsed onto the towpath a year ago but the navigation remained open until work began in the winter.

2008 Macclesfield wall collapse, photo: Debby Francis
In January a crane was brought in and positioned on the opposite side of the canal in order to lift out 6 vehicles that had been trapped after their access road had collapsed with the wall.

Reclaimed stone and lime mortar was used for re-building the wall, in order to match the original structure as far as possible.

Progress at Ledgard but Delays at Ganny

Stoppages abound on the Calder and Hebble Navigation at the moment, keeping many boats restricted to their moorings for now.

Ledgard Stop Lock at the western end of Mirfield Cut is having its gates replaced along with general repairs. The gates of Shepley Bridge Lock, at the other end of the cut, have had to be locked in order to retain the water and keep the boats moored along the cut afloat!

Mike Fretwell, Mooring Officer of the South Pennine Boat Club, based at Mirfield, took the photo shown below today.

The new gates are due to be fitted tomorrow. If everything goes according to plan, the navigation is scheduled to reopen at the end of the week (13th March).

Ledgard Stop Lock. Photo: Mike Fretwell

Meanwhile, boaters around Brighouse who were hoping to start travelling at the weekend are in for a disappointment - the stoppage at Ganny Lock (just up from Brighouse on the Calder and Hebble) has been extended for another week.

While carrying out the long-needed lock gate replacement at Ganny Lock, BW staff have discovered unforseen problems which make it essential that major repairs are carried out to the lock floor and alterations made to the lock gates before fitting can be completed.

The lock is now scheduled to re-open on March 20th 2009.

Meanwhile, as announced previously, work is due to start on the repairs of the flood-damaged Cooper Bridge Weir tomorrow (10th March).

Peak Polluted

A "pollution incident" has affected a section of the Peak Forest Canal in Hyde.

The canal has been closed to navigation between Dunkirk Lane Bridge (4) and Manchester Road Bridge (6), in order to restrict the effects of the pollution. This is the section that includes the M67 tunnel.

Update, 9th March: Stoppage continues.
The source of the pollution has now been identified and British Waterways and the Environment Agency are currently working together to enable the navigation to be re-opened. A contractor is being brought in to carry out the significant clear up works that are required at this location.

BW will issue a further update once there a clear indication when the navigation can be re-opened

Photo: M67 tunnel in Hyde, just south of the pollution incident.

Cooper Bridge Weir - Work To Begin

Work to repair the collapsed weir at Cooper Bridge on the Calder and Hebble Navigation is to get under way next Tuesday, on 10th March 2009. It is hoped that the work can be completed by March 31st 2009.

Firstly a stone access road will be built to allow vehicles to reach the weir. This will enable the breach (see photo) to be filled with large stone to form a short-term repair.

David Crane of British Waterways said: "We are going to be working on a design for a long term permanent solution which will be carried out as part of the stoppage programme in 2011," explained . This will give us time to assess all suitable options and mean we can build the works into future budgets."

He added that work would take place seven days a week to complete the work as quickly as possible, but warned that this would be subject to river conditions, which can significantly affect BW's ability to carry out the works.

A BW Yorkshire team will be joined by colleagues from the East Midlands and an experienced contractor in order to carry out the work in the desired time.

The Calder and Hebble Navigation is particularly prone to flooding and dramatic changes in level. It was flash flooding in January, when large volumes of water were carried down from the Pennines after heavy rain, that washed away a section of the weir. The river level above the weir is so low that navigation is not possible, and this includes the entrance to the Huddersfield Broad Canal.

A year earlier, flooding further downstream on the Calder and Hebble Navigation had sunk one narrowboat and left another stranded on the towpath (see photos).

Yorkshire Stoppages

BW has announced that the stoppage currently underway at Forge Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is to be extended until 12th March 2009.

This is because damage has been found to the lock wall and pressure grouting is going to be necessary.

The Stainforth and Keadby Canal (South Yorkshire Navigation) is currently closed between Mauds Swingbridge and Crowle due to a very dense mat of weed. A workboat is scheduled to remove the weed next week.

Ganny Lock, which is just above Brighouse on the Calder and Hebble, is currently closed for gate replacement. This lock will re-open on 13th March.

For more information about additional or extended stoppages, please see Pennine Waterways' Stoppages page.

Liverpool Canal Link Finished - New Photos Online

The construction of Liverpool's new Canal Link is now complete.

New photos of the Canal Link, taken in March 2009, starts here.

British Waterways is undertaking a programme of testing and commissioning before the link is opened to boaters.

In Salthouse Dock, adjacent to Albert Dock, new finger pontoons have been installed, providing visitor moorings for up to 40 narrowboats and 4 wide beam boats. These will have water and power.

Boaters who want to take their boats to Liverpool should contact BW's Wigan office (01942 405700) in order to book a passage from Maghull to Liverpool and to book a mooring space. There is already a waiting list. It is expected that the link will be open to boaters around the end of April or the beginning of May, although an exact date has not yet been finalised.

See the new photos of the Liverpool Canal Link.