Two more failed culverts

THIS week saw two more failed culverts closing the Shropshire Union and Macclesfield canals.

The Shropshire Union Canal is closed after the failure of the cofferdam that was being installed, Keith Gudgin reports.

No significant seal

The failure occurred during its installation at Culvert 19 at Chester, when the contractors could not get a significant seal.

Then it was discovered there was a leak from the canal bed into the culvert, that 'requires a full repair to avoid further deterioration and risk of failure in the future'.

So the decision has been made to keep the navigation closed until the 31st January 2024, unfortunately this means the navigation will now be closed over Christmas.

Macclesfield Canal

THE second culvert failure this week is above Bosley Flight on the Macclesfield Canal where a 'significant leak' has been discovered into the culvert between Hall Green Stop Lock (13) and Bosley Bottom Lock (12), south of Bridge 87.

This had been suspected as Keith Gudgin reported earlier this week.

Stop planks have been installed between Hall Green Stop Lock and Simpsons Bridge (85) to prevent a further loss of water and stabilise the water levels within the canal.

Temporary sheeting

After the installation of the stop planks temporary sheeting was placed on the canal bed over the affected culvert, that has significantly reduced the flow of water escaping through the culvert.

Dams have now been installed at each side of the leak, with pumps installed to keep the level of water above the area.  A fish rescue will be next so that the affected area can be dewatered, to allow the culvert to be inspected.

The navigation is of course closed.