Sunk narrowboat rescued

THE recent adverse weather conditions caused a narrowboat to sink by Hempsted Swing Bridge on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, that has now been retrieved.

The commercial waterway is very deep, and so the boat was lost to view, but a specialist team was involved in rescuing it by the bank where it struck, then sank, after breaking away from its moorings, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Causing problems

The boat was attached to air bags that were inflated then the water pumped out, with a tug towing it away from the bridge where it has been causing problems for the past week, being right up to the structure.

It needed divers to attach the air bags, with the operation overseen by people from Canal & River Trust, with a spokesman reminding boaters to make sure boat moorings are secure, especially in rough weather.