Will take two years to repair Bridgewater Canal breach

IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED that the repair to the breach in the Bridgewater Canal will take until December 2026!

That makes it two years since it collapsed in January of this year before it is repaired, Janet Friend reports.

Work on plans

It is told that 'work is continuing on plans' to fully repair the section that breached near Dunham Massey following the breach in early January.

Torrential rain was blamed for the breach—50 years since this last occurred.

Though the breach has been stabilised the navigation is still unavigable and will be it seems until the end of next year.

This means the Cheshire Ring can no longer be undertaken by boaters, as the Bridgewater forms a major part of the ring. It also means the Trent & Mersey will be a dead-end canal until the repair is completed.

Next phase of planning

Peter Parkinson, managing director of Bridgewater Canal Company, acknowledged:

“We know how important Bridgewater Canal is to local people, boaters, and businesses. We have been working hard to protect the canal and are now moving into the next phase of planning.

“We are committed to delivering a long-term solution and will continue to share updates as our plans progress.”

Long-term is a very accurate description indeed.  What it needs is not stages of planning but the actual repair of the breach that under no consideration takes two years to complete.