Sharpness Docks dredged

THE build-up of silt at the lock into the Severn at Sharpness is being dredged to enable deep draughted vessels to access the docks.

The dredging started in September, and will allow easier access to the coastal vessels from the Severn to transport cargo on to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Cargo

Though little cargo is now taken on the the canal, there is still a good amount of cargo shipped to and from the docks at Sharpness, hence the need to keep access clear of the silt that builds up from the river.

It is a special dredger that is being used, that takes the silt from the bed of the river, then suspends it to allow it to be flushed down river. The cost to Canal & River Trust is £200,000. A spokesman from the harbour remarked that modern coastal ships visiting the port were growing in size so maintaining the depths within the dock was paramount.