Solar lighting for the Trent & Mersey Canal in Stoke

THE TRENT & MERSEY CANAL is to get solar lighting along three miles of waterway in Stoke.

Stoke-on-Trent Council believe this will improve the safety of the towpath, Janet Friend reports.

Repairs to towpath

At the same time the council and Canal & River Trust have teamed up to see overgrown hedges cut back and 'significant' repairs to the towpath.

The three miles of the waterway to get the solar lighting are from Trentham to Stoke Station and will include cutting back a number of trees to improve visibility of the towpaths.

Also, 'significant repairs' will be made to the towpath, specifically where cobbles have cracked or lifted due to tree roots.

Community leaders have explained the historic canal network in the Potteries is an important part of the area's heritage, but parts are in need of improvement works.

Make canal safer

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure and transport, explained:

“This work will bring our city’s wonderful canals back to life and will bring with it significant economic and environmental benefits. It will make the canal safer, more attractive and accessible to residents and visitors, and promote active travel by providing traffic-free walking and cycling routes in the city."

Boaters who have cruised this part of the Trent & Mersey in Stoke will know that this section of the waterway from the bottom lock by the station to the the large roundabout it goes under is very isolated and closed-in along part with factories and there have been problems in the past.