Bridgewater breached, and floods properties and closes roads

THE BRIDGEWATER breached after a night of heavy downpour throughout the night of New Year's Eve.

This was near a built up area with the torrent from the waterway flooding the surrounding ground, Janet Friend reports.

Major incident

The  result is the police calling it a 'major incident' as a vast area of properties are flooded and having to be evacuated with roads closed. 

The canal company has now inserted stop planks on the canal to lessen the flow of water. These are at the 'narrows' at Dunham' it being impossible to insert them in many places on the wide canal.

This is the same site that the Bridgewater breached 50 years ago, Jim Forkin tells us, it causing similar flooding.

The staff on site believe the breach will take some time to repair, meaning the waterway will be closed for navigation.