THE NARROWBOAT hanging over the breach was removed on Tuesday so now it is the turn of the two stuck on the bottom.
And then of course the repair to the waterway itself, Janet Friend reports.
Removing the boats
Canal & River Trust is focusing on removing the two boats that are still in the hole, getting them out and to safety. (Picture by Canal & River Trust.)
But there is the problem of access and it even seems likely the A41 will have to be closed whilst work is undertaken, with project manager Simon Hardon explaining:
"This week we're going to focus on removing these boats, getting them to safety, getting them floated away and giving them back to the owners.
"We've gained access to an agricultural field through negotiation with the farmer, we've got a fantastic machine called a Menzi Muck, which is actually a walking excavator.
"The machine is going to walk into the canal—and we're going to create a ramp, and then we're going to use the same winching system to pull the boats up the ramp."
Create a dry dock
The teams will then create a dry dock to get the boats out—this is a basin that can be filled with water to get them afloat again, and then can be drained once they are removed.
One of the boats is partially buried and the other full of water, and with the area in the bottom like quicksand, it is going to be a tremendous operation to get them out.
It is understood that once the boats are out the repair of the breach will take most of this year, such is the colossal work that will be required.