Canals closing down

THE Canal & River Trust announce that the northern canals will be closed to navigation should the lack of rainfall continue.

In addition to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal closure already reported, future notice of closures include the Rochdale Canal from lock 1 at Sowerby Bridge to lock 48 at Littleborough to start on Monday 6th August, Keith Gudgin tells us.

But the situation was obviously worse than envisioned, as this notice was quickly followed by the information yesterday that  Lock 1, Tuel Hill, was now permanently closed until further notice, so there is no access on to or off the Rochdale at Sowerby Bridge.  This is of course in addition to the closures on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Macclesfield restricted then closed

The Macclesfield too is now restricted with Bosley Flight only open between 8am and 2pm, but this will only be until the 13th August when the locks will be chained up preventing any navigation.  Yet if the Rochdale is anything to go by this could be much sooner.

Bugsworth Basin is another now closed, with no access, again, until further notice.

And the Foss off the Ouse at York is also closed.

More fake news

In addition to the above there are the miles of the closure of the Leeds & Liverpool into Liverpool as well as the many flights now chained-up on the waterway and of course such as the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union closed, the Wyrley & Essington closed and many other stoppages at present.

Yet a spokesman for Canal & River Trust maintain that 95% of its waterways are still open!

Fake news is alive and well!