Little hope of K&A opening

Published: Wednesday, 19 December 2018

THE collapse of an approach chamber wall of Lock 16 on the Kennet & Avon Canal has worsened, with little hope of the canal being re-opened in the near future.

It was on the 5th of December when it was discovered that the bottom approach chamber wall support has collapsed, closing the waterway, and further examination has shown that the support has further disintegrated, Keith Gudgin tells us.

One or two?

This was the towpath side wall support that had collapsed, but Canal & River Trust now report that its investigations on Monday 17th December discovered the bottom approach walls to the lock have moved further. So it is not known if it is the one wall support or both walls that have collapsed.

No immediate solution has been found to solve the problem, so with the risk of a boat striking a damaged wall that could then collapsed completely, the lock will remain closed. 

Recent such failures have meant both foundations and walls having to be completely rebuilt.