Six weeks to repair Slough Arm bridge
It was last week that supports of the bridge badly cracked making the whole structure unstable (Slough Arm closed) with part of the wall slipping into the canal.
Closed for boats
The result was that the waterway was closed for boats, with none of those at the moorings being able to move.
This was particularly disappointing for the 10 boats that were booked for the Canal Cavalcade at Little Venice, Roger Stocker tells us, with his own boat being booked, but of course none able to attend.
100 boats stranded
Slough Arm is a popular moorings, with about 100 boat moored from bridge to bridge, but all are now stranded, and none will be able to take advantage of the Bank Holiday weekend.
Roger tells us the news of closure of the Arm came just after the boaters had heard that the long promised dredging had been cancelled—not the best for passing trade business as the canal has a reputation for weeds, though most of it isn't that bad.
Alternative arrangements
Jon Guest, London Waterway Manager for Canal & River Trust, stated:
"We are on site working to repair damage to Reeds Bridge and the towpath next to it. We appreciate that the closure is causing disruption and we're talking to the boaters on the Slough Arm about alternative arrangements for their boats.
"Thankfully, considering the age of our canals, problems like this are extremely rare. Fixing it won't be cheap and as a charity we don't have an endless pot of money, but we are working hard to get the canal and towpath open to the public as soon as possible."