Massive clean-up

A CANAL Clean Up organised by Inland Waterways Association was declared a great success, with 100 volunteers over two days joining in various activities in all three directions from Dukinfield Junction.

Held over the weekend of 13th and 14th October  in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust and with Waterway Recovery Group North West supporting the event by supplying some of the tools and equipment, the main focus for pulling rubbish out of the canal was the Lower Peak Forest Canal.

Lot of rubbish

It was here that reports from owners of deep draughted boats had indicated that there was a lot of rubbish in the canal—in all 10 truck loads of rubbish were taken away for scrap during the weekend, including several motorbikes, lots of bicycles, numerous tyres and a safe.

Work was undertaken on the Ashton Canal clearing vegetation and removing rubbish as well as fence painting.  Bridge 28 of the Ashton Canal was cleared of rubbish and the offsides of the bridge were cleared of vegetation and a deep amount of soil and debris.

Notice a difference

The whole area was litter picked, so anyone visiting Dukinfield Junction will certainly notice a difference. Boaters using this stretch of canal have already reported an improvement in navigating through the bridgeholes.

The weekend was also an opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of an even bigger canal clean up, ASHTAC. Ashton Attack, followed on from Operation Ashton, and saw approximately 1,000 people work on the derelict Ashton and the Lower Peak Forest canals over a single weekend in March 1972. The event contributed to the Cheshire Ring being re-opened to navigation just two years later, in 1974.