Two more winter works cancelled

TWO more cancelled winter works are added to the list by Canal & River Trust.

One on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and the other on the Rochdale Canal, Keith Gudgin reports.

On the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal it is the Purton Upper Swing Bridge (4) where a stoppage is required as the trust told that the bridge is currently 'in a poor state of repair, therefore essential works needed to be carried out'.

But now cancelled.

The bridge would have been closed to navigation whilst the work was being done.

It lists the date as 'Monday 8 January 2024 08:00 until Wednesday 1 November 2023 16:00', but cannot understand what it means.

Rochdale Canal

On the Rochdale it is a washwall that is unstable and needs a deal of work, our now being told,  though, that it is stable at the moment and it will continue to be monitored.

We being told that a temporary hand rail is in place, around the section of washwall and towpath which has moved. This it tells is in order to manage the situation prior to the works being undertaken.

But this has had to be removed from this year’s winter works programme, as 'after further investigation it was found that a' new design solution is needed'.

The work, we are informed is on the bank 'between Lock 66 & Lock 81'.