Will take six weeks to replace Ratcliffe Lock gates

RATCLIFFE Lock 58 at the bottom of the Soar is having new gates in September.

But these will take contractors six weeks to replace, Keith Gudgin reports.

The repair work that has taken place on the gates over the past weeks will allow the lock to be used until later in the year, but then something has to be done.

Soar in flood

This work was originally planned to take place during last winter, but continuing wet weather meant the Soar was in flood for most of the winter period so the work could not be undertaken.

So now it has been decided to undertake the work in season when there is a good chance of the river allowing this to be done. This will be undertaken by contractors for six weeks between Monday 16th September and Friday (of course!) 25th October.

Having used the lock many times it was obvious both sets of gates needed urgent attention their being difficult to operate with the bottom gates leaking so much it needed two people to get the top gates open.  Out photograph shows the leaking bottom gates, taken three years ago.