Grand Western repair
This will be paid for by its owner, Devon County Council, that has put aside £3 millions not only to repair, but to modernise the waterway, that has been somewhat neglected.
Evacuated
It was a section of the waterway near Tiverton that collapsed, causing 20 homes to be urgently evacuated, roads closed and fish spread across fields. (Another canal breach—narrowboatworld 22nd November.)
It was Devon County Council that transformed the disused waterway into a linear country park, encouraging walking and cycling, together with horse-drawn boat trips, as the canal is navigable. The Grand Western Canal is part of the West Country Way cycle route that connects Padstow in Cornwall to Bristol.
It is expected that the repair and modernisation will be all finished in time for the 200th anniversary of the original opening of the waterway in 2014.