Oxford Canal closed—update

AT THE start of the major school holidays, part of the second most popular waterway, the  Oxford Canal, was closed today (Thursday).  It has now been reopened.

The offside brick bridge approach wall of Bridge 193—Chisnell Lift Bridge—has collapsed into the waterway blocking navigation, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Access problem

The lift bridge is situated eight miles below Banbury, on the Southern Oxford Canal, and there are already queues of boats at each side of the blockage, and with the bridge situated over a mile from the nearest road, access will be a problem.

It is not yet know if access will be by vehicle over land or by boat to clear the obstruction.