Open to the public

THE Canal & River Trust is once again opening its properties to the public to give an insight to their workings.

There were over 400 visitors to Newark Dry Dock, to give them the chance to see where boats have been repaired and restored since the 1950s.

The dry dock is still one of the busiest boat maintenance facilities operating on the inland waterways today and visitors learnt all there is to know about this local landmark and took the opportunity to go on board some of the Canal & River Trust's maintenance boats.

Tees Barrage

Tees Barrage, that was recognised as one of the biggest civil engineering project in the UK during its construction 20 years ago was also open to the public, though this time around 150 visitors took the tour, as it was drained for maintenance.

During the event visitors took the opportunity to explore inside one of the drained gate areas to see the structure's hydraulic rams up close, join special tours around the fish pass, get rare access into the control tower and learn more about the white water course construction.

The waterway team are carrying out their annual inspection and maintenance of each of the four gates. This involves installing dams either side of each gate, removing the water, inspecting the gate seals, walls, floor and pivot points, as well as checking the steelwork for damage. A 150 tonne crane will also be used to put in a new 20 tonne, 10 metre long hydraulic ram which operates the gates. The work is expected to take around six to eight weeks.