Horrific Accident with Swing Bridge

A horrific accident has taken place at Buxton Lane Swing Bridge on the Ashton Canal.

A 15-year-old girl has had both legs amputated after becoming trapped between the bridge and the side of the canal. It has been reported that she had been dangling her legs either from the bridge or a concrete wall against which the bridge opened. Her friends pushed the bridge away to release her before the arrival of the emergency services.

The accident is being investigated by British Waterways, the Greater Manchester Police and the Health and Safety Executive.

The bridge is normally locked shut when not being used by a boat. It is not known at this stage whether a boater left the swing bridge unlocked or whether the children had acquired a key.

[Read BBC News report]

Aldwarke Lock re-opens

Aldwarke Lock, on the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation between Rotherham and Swinton, has now been repaired and will re-open from 14th June.

The navigation has been closed since June 1st after the top gates were damaged and had to be removed for repair off site. [See earlier report]

Huddersfield Narrow closed

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is currently closed because of a problem at Lock 13w in Mossley.

The lock has suffered damage to the tail gate cill and has been closed to through navigation between locks 14w & 8w.

British Waterways estimates that the repair work will be completed by Sunday 8th June.

For enquiries about this stoppage, contact British Waterways on 01942 405700.

Update: June 8th 2008
The lock cill has been repaired and the canal has now re-opened to navigation.

Sheffield & South Yorkshire closed

The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation is currently closed because of a problem at Aldwarke Lock, between Rotherham and Swinton..

The top lock gates at Aldwarke have sustained damage and the lock is inoperable. For boaters' safety, the navigation has been closed between Eastwood and Kilnhurst.

An update will be issued on Wednesday 4th June.

Update: June 4th 2008

A top lock gate has been removed to be repaired off site, which will take about one week, after which it will need to be re-installed.

Update: June 4th 2008

The repairs are now complete and the navigation will re-open from June 14th.



For enquiries about this stoppage, contact British Waterways on 0113 281 6860.

More Tree Trouble Blocks Canals

Two more canals have been blocked by fallen trees, weakened by the high winds of last week.

The towpath and navigation of the Peak Forest Canal has been closed by a tree that has fallen on the north side of Hyde Bank Tunnel (about a mile from Marple Locks).

A fallen tree is blocking the Rochdale Canal near Bridge 6 at Luddenden Foot, about 2 miles west of Sowerby Bridge. This blockage is expected to have been cleared later this afternoon.

For enquiries about these stoppages, contact British Waterways on 01942 405700.

Rochdale Stoppage - now re-opened

There is an emergency stoppage at lock 49, Moss Upper Lock, on the Rochdale Canal.

This is due to the head gate paddle which requires replacement.

British Waterways will issue re-open notices as soon as the work has been completed.


Photo shows Moss Lower Lock, with Moss Upper Lock in the background.

Boats can be winded below Lock 50 or below Lock 48.

For enquiries about the stoppage, contact British Waterways on 01942 405700.

Update: May 27th 2008
The gate paddle has been replaced and the canal has now re-opened to navigation.

Trees Block Leeds and Liverpool

Strong winds in the area have resulted in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal being blocked in two places near Adlington by fallen trees.

One fallen tree has blocked the towpath and navigation near Ridding Bridge (number 74).

A second tree has blocked the navigation 3 miles nearer Wigan, between bridges 64 and 65 (between Adlington and Red Rock).

British Waterways will issue re-open notices as soon as the blockages have been cleared.

For enquiries about the stoppage, contact British Waterways on 01942 405700.

Update: May 27th 2008

The tree near Riddings Bridge has been removed and the canal has now re-opened to navigation. The tree between bridges 64 and 65 is expected to be removed on Wed 28th May.

Update: May 29th 2008

The tree between bridges 64 and 65 has been removed and the canal has now re-opened to navigation.

New photos of work on Liverpool Canal Link

Work on the Liverpool Canal Link at Pier Head is nearing completion, along with a new channel through Trafalgar Dock. Work has started on a new channel from Canning Dock.

Five pages of new photographs have been added to Pennine Waterways, starting at:

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link15.htm

Here is one of the photos as a taster....

Limited Hours at Salterhebble Guillotine Lock

Passage through Salterhebble Guillotine Lock on the Calder and Hebble Navigation is now possible again, following last week's closure, but the lock is only open during restricted hours.

The Guillotine Lock will be operated by BW staff during the following hours only:
• 9.00 - 10.00 am
• 12.00 noon - 2.00 pm
• 4.00 - 6.00 pm

A further statement is expected on 30th May.

The gear box on top of the guillotine broke a week ago, rendering the lock inoperable.


This restriction will affect boaters on the South Pennine Ring, those crossing the Pennines via the Rochdale Canal and some hirers of boats from Shire Cruisers, based nearby at Sowerby Bridge.

For enquiries about the stoppage, contact British Waterways on 0113 281 6860

Meet the Boss!

Boaters, anglers, walkers and other canal users are to get the chance to meet the boss of British Waterways and to air their views.

Robin Evans, BW's Chief Executive, is to take a nationwide tour to give customers an opportunity to discuss issues relating to the management of the waterways. The 20 meetings are in addition to the regular user group meetings held in each area.

Robin describes the meetings as being useful for generally understanding and responding to customers' concerns. "Hearing and exchanging views at first hand will help develop the right policies for the future."

In the north, meetings will take place at the following locations -

Thursday 5th June:
• Dukinfield Town Hall, SK16 4LA, 9.30 - 11.00 am
• The Orwell, Wigan Pier, WN3 4EU, 6.00 - 7.30 pm
(to attend, contact Denise Bradshaw on 01942 405793)

Tuesday 29th July:
• The Pastures Lodge, Mexborough, S64 0JJ, 9.30 - 11.00 am
• East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley, BD20 5EL, 5.30 - 7.00 pm
(to attend, contact Linzi O'Neill on 0113 281 6861)


Robin Evans at Marple, 2006
Photo: Chris Smyth

Salterhebble Guillotine Lock Closed

The Calder and Hebble Navigation is closed at Salterhebble until further notice, following a breakdown of Salterhebble Guillotine Lock.

The gear box on top of the guillotine has broken, rendering the lock inoperable.

British Waterways expect it to be at least a week before the canal can be re-opened at this point. A further statement is expected on 23rd May.


This will affect boaters on the South Pennine Ring, those crossing the Pennines via the Rochdale Canal and some hirers of boats from Shire Cruisers, based nearby at Sowerby Bridge.

For enquiries about the stoppage, contact British Waterways on 0113 281 6860.

Horse-drawn to Huddersfield (2)

The Horseboating Society has once again re-enacted the passage of a boat along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal by horsepower. The historic wooden narrowboat Maria was towed from Ashton to Huddersfield and is currently on its return journey.

The highlight of the journey was when the boat was legged through Standedge Tunnel.

Maria was previously legged through Standedge Tunnel in 2006, when she was the first boat to have been legged through for around 60 years. [See report]

Local Oldham East and Saddleworth MP (and Defra Minister) Phil Woolas travelled aboard the boat from Uppermill to Diggle, where an enthusiastic crowd turned out in spite of heavy rain.

Ashton-under-Lyne MP David Heyes, in whose constituency the boat is based, joined the boat at Diggle and helped to leg through the tunnel.

The passage took just under 3 hours, so no records were broken!

Maria will pass back through Standedge on Wednesday as part of a normal convoy, continuing from Uppermill to Ashton on Thursday.


Legging through an easy brick-lined stretch of Standedge Tunnel. Some sections are of uneven rock, making the legging more difficult. (Click image for larger version)

Breakthrough on Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal!

A "breakthrough" was celebrated today on the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal.

British Waterways engineers, construction workers from Volker Stevin and members of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society were on hand to witness the breaking through of the new Margaret Fletcher Tunnel in Salford.

The new tunnel beneath the Inner Relief Road and Manchester to Liverpool railway is named after Margaret Fletcher, the late chairman of the Canal Society, who successfully secured funding for its design and construction. The tunnel will emerge into a new deep lock replacing the original staircase locks leading from the River Irwell.

Two lines of concrete piles were sunk into the ground before construction of the relief road started. The sandstone rock between the piles was then excavated from beneath the finished roadway to form the tunnel.

The canal through the tunnel could be open to navigation later in 2008. It will lead to the restored Lock 3 and a stretch of canal as far as Oldfield Road. The canal will become the centrepiece of the Middlewood Locks development.

More photos of the work will appear on Pennine Waterways in the next few days. Please check back.

The excavator has broken through and construction workers from each side of the tunnel meet with a traditional hand shake!


Inside the new tunnel, looking towards the deep lock. There will be a landing on the right, with steps leading up to the lock side.

Horse-drawn to Huddersfield

Members of the Horseboating Society are going to re-create the past of the waterways in May when they take the horse-drawn narrowboat Maria across the Pennines from Ashton to Huddersfield and back.


In addition to the boat being towed all the way by horse, it will be legged through Standedge Tunnel in the traditional manner!

The boat sets off from the Ashton Canal on Thursday May 1st, through Stalybridge to Mossley. The following day it will continue along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to Uppermill, where it will be on show during Saturday.

On Sunday the boat will ascend the Diggle lock flight to Standedge Tunnel, to co-incide with the Diggle Canal Festival, alongside the top lock, where there will be traditional rope skills demonstrated, games, stalls, etc. Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas will help the boat up the locks.

Ashton MP, David Heyes, a member of the Parliamentary Waterways Group, will help to leg the boat through Standedge Tunnel. Energetic members of the public will be able to join the boat horse on a guided walk "over the top", across the moors to Tunnel End, Marsden.

Standedge Tunnel is the UK's longest canal tunnel, at more than 3 miles. The legging will take around 3 hours and will be done by pairs of leggers taking turns. The tunnel was built without a towpath and "legging" was the traditional means of propelling boats through tunnels.


"Maria" will be on show at Tunnel End on Bank Holiday Monday. The boat will continue its horse-drawn journey to Slaithwaite on Tuesday and to Huddersfield on Wednesday.

The return from Huddersfield to Slaithwaite will be on Saturday 10th May. The boat will climb the Marsden lock flight on 13th May.

On Wednesday 14th May, "Maria" will return through Standedge Tunnel, this time as part of a normal convoy, before continuing to Uppermill. The following day the boat will carry on to Staybridge and Ashton.

"Maria" is the oldest surviving wooden narrow boat, built at Marple in 1854. The horse being used for this journey is Bilbo Baggins. "Maria" was previously legged through Standedge Tunnel in July 2006 - the first boat to have been legged through for around 60 years! [report here]