Three more canal closures today!

THIS is getting ridiculous—after four canal closures over last week-end we are now told of four more—three of them in one day—totalling eight closures in less than a week!  Yet Canal & River Trust tells us its waterways are in better condition than ever!

Three of the stoppages were reported today, Wednesday 22nd July, and are the Huddersfield Narrow, with a failed clapperboard at Lock 12W resulting in the pound becoming dewatered which has closed the canal to navigation, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Large hole

Another stoppage on the Leeds & Liverpool, this time on the Rufford Branch, with the branch closed from Lock 1 to Lock 7 after a large hole appeared in the canal bank between locks 4 and 5.

The third stoppage is on the Caldon Canal with once again structure failure of a ground paddle, that has closed the waterway at Wood's Lock 15.

The fourth

The fourth failure, though on a different day, is the head gate cill of Brearley Upper Lock (6), on the Rochdale Canal, with work expected this time to start today, after the pound has been drained.

Eight closures in less than a week, must surely be a new record.