Tree Blocks Lower Peak Forest

The Lower Peak Forest Canal has been blocked by a fallen willow tree. The blockage is close to Newton Hall Bridge (no. 4) between Hyde and Dukinfield.

British Waterways is arranging for a contractor to deal with the tree and will issue an update tomorrow (27th Jan).

For any enquiries about this stoppage contact British Waterways on 01782 785703.

Update, 27th January: British Waterways has not yet been given a date by the contractors for when the blockage will be removed. The Lower Peak Forest Canal remains closed at Newton Hall.

Update, 28th January: The contractors will be on site on Monday 31st January. BW hopes that the navigation can be re-opened on Tuesday 1st February.

Update, 31st January: The tree has now been removed and the canal has re-opened to navigation.

Bridge 4 at Newton Hall, Hyde

Dangerous building closes canal at Nelson

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is currently closed in Nelson following the collapse of a dangerous building near Bridge 141 at Victoria Street, Whitefield.

British Waterways and the local authority are working with the building owner to make the area safe as quickly as possible The towpath is also closed at this location but an on-street alternative is easily available.

BW will issue an update in Wednesday 26th January. For any enquiries about this stoppage contact British Waterways on 01942 405700.

Victoria Street Bridge, Whitefield

Rail Bridge works to shut Rochdale and Calder & Hebble

Work on two railway bridges will result in stoppages on two waterways.

On the Rochdale Canal there will be a stoppage at Belgrove/Firgrove between Locks 48 and 49. The canal and towpath will be closed between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm on Tues 25th, Weds 26th and Thurs 27th January. The stoppage will be at the former railway bridge, now a Metrolink bridge between Firgrove Bridge and Deepdale Swing Bridge and is to enable faulty railway bridge deck beams to be removed.

On the Calder and Hebble Navigation, there will be a stoppage at Schofield Railway Bridge (25a) at Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury. This will be from Monday 31st December to Sunday 6th February and is to enable essential grouting and stabilisation works to take place.

Schofield Railway Bridge (in distance), Thornhill Lees

Bridge Fault Near Skipton

An electrical fault at Bradley Swing Bridge has halted boat movement between Skipton and Bingley.

The stoppage is at Bridge 182a, which is 2.5 miles from Skipton. British Waterways says that contractors are currently trying to rectify the problem.

AN update will be issued on Monday 24th January.

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

Update 24th Jan:
The bridge is now operating normally again.

British Waterways says that "previous restrictions remain in place for the dredging works" referring to dredging works between Skipton and Farnhill which may cause delays of up to 30 minutes.


Bradley Swing Bridge

Stoppage at Bosley Locks

An emergency stoppage is in place at Bosley Locks on the Macclesfield Canal. The canal will be closed here until Wednesday 12th January.

Part of the weir at Bosley Lock 2 has collapsed meaning that the lock cannot be filled to allow passage of boats through the lock. The whole Bosley flight will be locked off until the repairs are completed.

For any enquiries about this stoppage contact British Waterways on 01782 785703.

Peak Forest work now takes place in Spring

The planned stoppage on the Lower Peak Forest Canal, to enable repair work to be carried out in Hyde Bank Tunnel, has been postponed to Spring.

The Lower Peak Forest Canal will now be closed at Hyde Bank Tunnel from 21st February to 12th March 2011.

The work had been planned to take place in November and December but had to be abandoned because of the severe Winter weather conditions.

Defra announces 19% cut in funding to BW

Defra announced today that its grant to British Waterways next year will be £41.5m.

This is a reduction of £9.8m (or 19%) from the 2010/11 baseline grant of £51.3m.

British Waterways points out that, as this funding from the Government makes up approximately half of the net spend on the waterways, this will translate into an effective cut of resource available of about 12% in 2011/12.

The settlement represents the last annual grant to British Waterways in England and Wales before a longer term contract comes into place in April 2012 when the canals, rivers and docks in its care are expected to be transferred into a new charity.

Defra also indicated that funding from 2012/13 to 2014/15 would be £39m a year, with a long-term commitment that a funding contract running up to at least 2022/23 will not fall below this level.

Tony Hales, BW chairman, said: "In the current climate it would be unrealistic to expect British Waterways to be exempt from cuts in public spending and we will have to make difficult decisions to ensure the continued maintenance of the historic canals and rivers in our care. The Government's commitment to the first ever long-term public funding settlement for the waterways is, however, a good step forward and I have been heartened by ministers' continued commitment to this 'Big Society' flagship.

"Security of funding is fundamental to achieving the Government's objective of establishing a new 'national trust' for the waterways. The challenge now is to develop a funding plan which gives confidence to the incoming trustees of the new charity and retains the support of waterway stakeholders. I firmly believe this can be achieved and, while we would all have hoped for a larger settlement, we are one step closer to turning the long-held vision of a waterways charity into reality."

Barton Aqueduct out of action

The Bridgewater Canal is currently closed to navigation at Barton Swing Aqueduct. It seems that a hydraulic failure is preventing the aqueduct being swung.

It is understood that the broken pipe will not be repaired until at least (Monday 29th November).

If you need the latest information about this stoppage contact the Bridgewater Canal Company on 0161 629 8266.

Update: Bridgwater Canal Company says:
"A pressure valve has burst resulting in Barton Aqueduct being unable to swing. Unfortunately we are unable to obtain a specialist replacement part until Monday the 29th November 2010.
"Pleasure craft owners waiting to cross the Aqueduct North to South are advised to moor at Boothstown or Worsley. Pleasure craft owners waiting to cross the Aqueduct South to North are advised to moor at Castlefield or the Kings Ransom in Sale.
"Further information will be released at lunchtime on Monday 29th November 2010."

Emergency repairs at Poolstock

As reported yesterday, British Waterways were unable to re-open the canal through Poolstock in Wigan at the weekend because it was found that emergency repairs needed to be carried out to the wash wall above Poolstock Locks on the Leigh Branch.

Unfortunately, as the de-watered pound is the pound that includes the junction with the main line of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Wigan lock flight also had to remain closed, preventing any boat movements through Wigan.

The photo of the work being carried out (below) was kindly sent by Stephen Fahey.

Photo: Stephen Fahey

Some local boaters have commented that the wash wall has been collapsed and cordoned off for a while, and wondered why the repair couldn't have been carried out at the same time as the nearby lock repair, which closed the canal for two weeks.

BW is going to issue an update regarding the stoppage on Friday 26th November.

Two boating friends have been given publicity in the media this week after claiming that they have been "marooned" above Wigan Locks for more than 3 weeks, which seems like exaggeration, since the Wigan stoppage only began on 8th November. It appears that the couple, who are heading home to London, only checked the initial stoppage list issued by BW in the Summer, and did not know about later additions to that programme. [News report]

The latest stoppage information for canals in the Pennine Waterways area is shown on this page.

Update, 29th November:
The repairs have been completed and the canal has now re-opened to navigation.

Problem extends Wigan stoppage

It had been hoped that the Wigan lock flight on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and the Poolstock locks on the Leigh Branch would have re-opened on Saturday after two-week stoppages to repair locks.

However additional problems have come to light, making it necessary for the stoppages to continue. Emergency investigation and repair works were required on the towpath and wash wall on the Leigh Branch between Poolstock Locks and the junction with the main canal. The pound has been de-watered, including the junction. This means that navigation is not possible either through Poolstock locks or down the main Wigan lock flight.

British Waterways will issue a further update on Friday 26th November.

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

Update, 29th November:
The repairs have been completed and the canal has now re-opened to navigation.

Wigan Junction

Additional lock stoppages on Leeds and Liverpool

British Waterways has announced a number of additional stoppages on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to carry out lock repairs. These will all start on Monday 8th November and could last around 2 weeks, although an end date has not been specified.

Locks affected are:
Lock 2 (Office Lock) and Lock 4 (Oddy Locks), Leeds
Lock 91, Appley Bridge (west of Wigan)
Lock 75, Wigan flight
Lock 1, Leigh Branch, Poolstock (Wigan)

These are in addition to the addition stoppages for bridge repairs announced last week.

The list of Winter Stoppages in the area covered by Pennine Waterways website will be updated each time new information is received.


Looking towards Lock 75, Wigan

Two Day Stoppage on Rochdale Nine in Manchester

The Rochdale Nine locks through the centre of Manchester will be closed for two days this week to enable paddles to be replaced.

The work will take place between 8.00 am on Wednesday 3rd November and 1.00 pm on Thursday 4th November 2010. During this period the canal will be closed to navigation along the whole of the "Rochdale Nine" section between Locks 84 and 92.

The stoppage is needed to replace paddles at Lock 86. The existing paddles are passing an excessive volume of water, making the lock difficult to operate. BW says that changing the paddles will stop the leaks and make the lock easier to operate.

During the stoppage, boats awaiting passage should moor at Piccadilly Basin above Lock 84 or in Castlefield on the Bridgewater Canal.

This stoppage will affect boaters navigating the Cheshire Ring. Enquiries about this stoppage should be made to BW on 01782 785703.


Lock 86, Rochdale Canal

Additional bridge stoppages on Leeds and Liverpool

Two additional stoppages have been announced for the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in order to repair swing bridges.

In the first stoppage, Millman Swing Bridge (bridge 214) will be closed for one week from Monday 8th November 2010. The stoppage is to enable to bridges electric motor to be replaced by mechanical engineering contractors. This bridge is at Apperley Bridge, between Shipley and the edge of Leeds.

On Monday 15th November 2010 repairs will be carried out to Stockbridge Swing Bridge (197) at Riddleston, just west of Bingley. The bridge will be closed to navigation while work is being carried out. However, boats will be allowed to pass through before 8.00 am, at 12.00 noon and after 4.00 pm. This stoppage is planned to be for one day only.

For all stoppages in the Pennine Waterways area, see Winter Stoppages 2010-2011.

Millman Bridge at Apperley Bridge

One day stoppage at Gargrave

There will be a one day stoppage tomorrow (15th October) at Lock 34 (Scarland Lock) on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Gargrave.

A balance beam has broken at Lock 34 and it is necessary to close the navigation between 8.00am to 4.00pm whilst a new beam is lifted into place.

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

Scarland Lock