THE TWO NARROWBOATS STRANDED at the bottom of the hole caused by the breach on the Llangollen Canal have been pulled out.
Meaning that all the stranded boats are now clear.
Pulled out on Thursday
The remaining boats, Sefton and Ganymede where pulled out on Thursday, they being trapped in the bottom of the hole caused by the breach that occurred on the 22nd December at Whitchurch, as shown in the picture by Canal & River Trust.
The narrowboat Pacemaker, that was teetering over the edge of the hole had been rescued on Tuesday 13th and refloated.
Julie Sharman, chief operating officer at the Canal & River Trust told BBC Radio Shropshire it was a big operation, owing to all the mud and material that had to be removed, she adding that it had been very carefully planned.
Gained access
Simon Hardon, project manager explained:
"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."
And that is what occurred and went according to plan with the two remaining narrowboats removed. They're all out!
We are told that the repair will take about nine months and is expected to cost more than £3 millions.