Work starts on Caldon breach

WORK has now started on the breach on the Caldon Canal near its terminus at Leek which occurred in November.

British Waterways (BW) has commenced a £500,000 project to repair a section of canal bank near Leek after it failed in November.

The breach on the Caldon Canal resulted in the collapse of a 16 yards  length of canal embankment and damage to the canal bed and it's clay lining.

The repair works will see the hole in the embankment filled with a new clay and earth dam that will key in to the existing canal bank. In addition the clay lining of the canal will be reinstated to ensure the canal remains watertight, and a number of sections of embankment will be reinforced to reduce the risk of future leakages. (Photograph by Julie Arnold Waterway Images.)

Historic weakness

Extensive investigations by BW engineers indicated that the initial leak of water may have been due to an historic weakness related to the installation of a culvert subsequent to the original canal construction and plans have been put in place to address this by relining with a new length of culvert to maintain land drainage.

The works which are expected to take approximately 18 weeks will be carried out by BW's contractor May Gurney.

Temporary Dams

Since the breach occurred temporary dams have been in place at Leek Tunnel closing access to the three quarter mile length of canal between the tunnel and the canal terminus.

Water supply to the Leek Branch and the Caldon Canal will be managed during the works to reduce the possibility of needing to place restrictions on boat movements.