Emergency closure at Wigan

THE emergency closure at Wigan on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal was caused by the collapsed of the retaining structure.

Stephen Fahey's photograph shows the extensive work that is being undertaken to repair the collapsed wall of the waterway, with work now well underway.

However there is no intimation when the work, that has closed the Leigh Branch, will be completed.

Boaters stranded

Two boaters, Steve Molyneux Bernie Kerr, on their way home to London, have been stranded by the stoppage for more than two weeks, Alan Tilbury tells us.

They had worked out a window to get to London before the winter maintenance programme took over, but being delayed so long means they have little likelihood now of reaching their destination for months, with Steve relating:

"We're desperate to get back. We've been left in limbo because we're struggling to afford to get home with the boat.  We planned the journey and checked when repairs were taking place.

"This was our window of opportunity but we had no idea that emergency repairs were going to happen.

"But it's getting quite serious. Temperatures are falling and we're expecting some severe weather in the next few days. We should have arrived home in Deptford after two weeks, but it looks like we're stuck indefinitely."