Landslip closes Grand Union

A LANDSLIP from an embankment on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal has blocked the waterway for 200 feet.

The recent heavy rain is held responsible for the landslip that has caused tons of soil, stones and trees to fall into the waterway, allowing no passage, Allan Richards reveals.

Kept quite

This happened over the Christmas period, but was kept quiet by Canal & River Trust, though a spokesman now tells us work will start on the site next week to make a temporary channel, but with no indication of when it will all be cleared.

The embankment is near Foxton Locks, and a channel will be dredged through the landslip, that is on the off-side, to make a single passage for boats, as a temporary solution.

Little can be done

With the embankment being unstable, it is not possible to remove all the material from the waterway, as this may cause further movement and de-stabilise the area, causing more material to come down, so little can be done whilst the ground is so wet.

A spokesman told that it was too early to state when the work could be completed or how much it will cost.