Water returns to Montgomery Canal at Llanymynech and allows the trip boat, that has been stranded for weeks, to soon again take passengers.
With our being told—At last there is water back in the Montgomery Canal at Llanymynech. The exceptional weather we have been experiencing has caused low water levels in the rivers which supply the Montgomery Canal and other works had particularly affected the flow of water to the canal between the picturesque locks at Carreghofa and the Wharf Visitor Centre at Llanymynech.
The dry weather has been affecting the whole network and the Canal & River Trust have asked canal users everywhere to help conserve water. The canal at Llanymynech dried out completely affecting swans, fish and ducks. Thankfully volunteers stepped in to save affected animals.
Pleased to see water returning
A spokesman for the team at Llanymynech Wharf explained:
“We are so pleased to see water returning to our stretch of the Montgomery Canal thanks to the efforts of the Canal & River Trust and their contractors. There is only a trickle at the moment and it will take a while before the canal recovers and we can run our boat trips.
“Our inland waterways were of course built in a different age and have to adapt to the changing climate and today’s ecological concerns. The dry conditions have been affecting waterways across Britain and on the continent too.
“The Montgomery Canal is run by the Canal & River Trust which as a charity relies on many volunteers who do much hard work to protect its built and natural heritage. Thanks are due to the volunteers who have been keeping the Llanymynech Canal Wharf visitor centre open while we have not been able to run our boat trips and to all the other volunteers who contribute to the Montgomery Canal, its heritage and its wildlife.
“The Montgomery Canal can be a real boost to the villages and towns along the route. Residents and visitors can use it for recreation, watch activity on the water and enjoy the wildlife. There are so many places round the country busy with visitors enjoying a canal and we look forward to those benefits here. We encourage everyone to contribute to our amazing canals, their wildlife and their heritage by getting involved in organisations like the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and other canal charities: together we must persuade governments and decision makers to prioritise funding for day-to-day care of our canals as important historical, heritage and ecological sites.”