OVER the years the Mon & Brec Canal has been renowned for its leaks, having been built, we are informed, on sandy soil, and has now 'sprung' another leak.
The leak is between bridges 98 and 99 at Govilon, but there is no intimation as to its seriousness, Keith Gudgin tells us.
Landslip
The last major problem was a landslip between Govilon and Llanfoist (pictured) that cost £1million to repair, the money being taken from that put aside for the restoration of the Cotswold Canals. That was a blow to the Cotswolds people as it meant British Waterways had withdrawn all its interest, with the repair to the Mon & Brec then eventually completed in April of last year.
Then in December last year the Trust repaired one leak on a pound at Ffawyddog, between bridges 115 and 116 to discover another on the same pound a few days later.
Announcing the closure of the Mon & Brec South of Talybont at the time, the Trust admitted the waterway had 300 known leaks!
Complete waste of money
During this period there was a deal of argument as to the value of keeping the waterway open due to its many closures. This was exacerbated by the spending of over a million pounds on the part restoration of the 14 Cefn Flight (pictured) purely as a visitor feature, miles away from the waterway, that it is thought will never be connected, and was considered a complete waste of money.