Still investigating Leeds & Liverpool breach

THE dams at the breach on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Rishton have now been successfully installed.

Now a breach

The problem first defined by Canal & River Trust as a 'significant leak' as been renamed as what it really is—a breach, Keith Gudgin reports.

The fish have now been rescued from the dewatered section of the waterway and the flooded area caused by the escaping flow.

The trust is now attempting to make best of the existing water resources, managing the levels along the canal towards Burnley but expecting those below the breach towards Blackburn to recover more slowly.

Pumping

A pumping scheme is to be installed in an attempt to maintain the water levels below the breach but not until next week. Once this is is force it will be decided if it supplies enough water to be able to open the closed lock flights below the breach.

The cause of the failure is not yet known, but we are told the teams 'continue to investigate the cause of the breach and determine a method of repair.'

After this it is expected that there will be a timescale when work will be completed.