Restricted Opening on Ashton Canal

There will be restricted opening times on the Ashton Canal this week due to evening stoppages as work is carried out to connect the marina arm at New Islington to the main canal line.

From Tuesday 28th June to Friday 1st July, the canal between Locks 2 and 3 in Ancoats will be de-watered between 4.00 pm and 1.00 am.

The canal will be open and available for use during the hours 1.00 am to 4.00 pm.

There is no suitable mooring above the stoppage area, so boaters heading from Ashton to Manchester (such as those doing the Cheshire Ring anti-clockwise) should not set off from Ashton after 12.00 noon on those days but should moor up at Portland Basin.

Update 28th June:
To complicate matters further today, there is an emergency stoppage at Lock 16 at the top of the Clayton flight.

The water is very low between pounds 16 & 17 due to a paddle being overwound. The paddle has come out of its frame and it needs replacing and the paddle rod needs straightening.

British Waterways will be on site at 10.00 am fitting stop planks and the maintenance team will be repairing the paddle. The canal will be re-open at 2.00 pm.
Boaters are asked to wait below Lock 16 or above Lock 17 and await for instructions from BW staff.

Update 28th June:
Repairs at Lock 16 have been completed and the navigation re-opened at 12.30 pm.


The location of this week's evening closure between Locks 2 and 3, Ashton Canal.

Canoes take to Cheshire Ring

Members of Macclesfield Canoe Club will be sticking their oars in this weekend as they embark on their annual Cheshire Ring event in kayaks and canoes.

The journey around the ring will be completed in under 24 hours, with some of the faster members doing it in under 18 hours, with participants continuing through the night!

Boats are carried past the 92 locks and over the 5 tunnels meaning that in there is almost a half marathon of walking/running in the 96 miles of the ring (96 miles as the small loop at Red Bull is bypassed).

Boats start and finish from the Miners Arms at Bridge 18 on the Macclesfield Canal near Adlington Marina, Four Lanes End, between 8.00 am and 12.00 noon. They will travel anticlockwise via the Lower Peak Forest and Ashton Canals, Rochdale Nine, Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey Canals. A highlight of the event is carrying (portaging) the boats along Canal Street in Manchester on Saturday afternoon.

Boaters on the Cheshire Ring should be aware of the possibility of canoes appearing suddenly.

Stoppage on Huddersfield Narrow

Boaters on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal face delays after problems have been found with two locks near Slaithwaite.

There is a problem with the cill at Lock 24e, the Guillotine Lock in Slaithwaite. There is also a problem with the by-wash at nearby Lock 26e. Excessive leaking is causing the pound above to lose water so that a navigable level cannot be sustained.

BW staff have put in stop planks to preserve water levels and have been monitoring the levels during the day. Repairs will be carried out as soon as possible.

BW staff are on hand to keep boaters in the area updated.

Anyone with a booking to pass through Standedge Tunnel should phone BW on 01782 785703 for advice.


Lock 24e, Huddersfield Narrow Canal

Stoppage on Ashton Canal

The Ashton Canal is currently closed between Lock 1 in Ancoats and Lock 18 in Droylsden.

The canal was closed at 9.00 am today following what British Waterways mysteriously describe as "asset failure" at Lock 3. As overnight mooring on the lock flight is not recommended, the entire lock section is now closed.

BW will issue an update at 12.00 noon on Monday 13th June.

This stoppage affects boaters navigating the Cheshire Ring and the South Pennine Ring. Boaters approaching the canal should remain moored in Manchester or at Portland Basin until further news is available.

Update 13th June:
The Ashton Canal will remain closed until 2.00 pm Tuesday 14th June to allow contractors to effect emergency repairs at Lock 3.

Update 14th June:
The canal has now re-opened.


Lock 3, Ashton Canal