THE WORK IS PROGRESSING ON EXPOSING the culvert discovered by Penkridge Lock on the Staffs & Worcs Canal.
This caused the closure of the navigation after it was discovered at the end of December, Keith Gudgin reports.
The excavation works have now exposed the original culvert that needed approximately four metres of digging to reach, with 134 metres of the excavation allowing the trust to fully expose the original culvert.
Very challenging
With the trust telling 'that phase of the work was very challenging due to confined working conditions, various cables and health & safety requirements'.
It required the outer wall of the culvert to be carefully cut using concrete saws, creating a large opening.
The blockage is now visible and approximately one metre away. Work to break out the blockage by hand and with water jet cutting is scheduled to begin on Monday 9th March 2026.