Feeding water to attempt to reopen Rochdale Canal

THE Canal & River Trust tells that it is feeding water to locks on the Rochdale in an attempt to allow navigation.

Water is being fed into Tannersfield Highest Lock (66), pictured,  to keep the water level sufficient to allow navigation down to Anthony Lock (77), but this has not yet been achieved, Keith Gudgin reports.

Leaving pounds empty

But it is well documented that vandals often open paddles on the flight in Newton Heath in Manchester, so draining water and leaving pounds empty.

In the past this was impossible owing to the paddles having anti-vandal locks, but over the past years these have either broken or been damaged by the vandals leaving them useless.

Would save water

If the anti-vandal locks had been repaired the paddles could no longer be opened and pounds drained which would save water and the very likelihood of the flight being closed to navigation, as has only too often occurred.