Problems with leakage on the Macclesfield Canal have led to a winter stoppage being brought forward
Problems with leakage on the Macclesfield Canal have led to a winter stoppage being brought forward, resulting in the canal being closed continuously (apart from a brief opening on one single day) from early October to March 2020.
Following what the Canal & River Trust described as “excessive leakage” at Bollington Embankment, stop planks were put in to isolate the length between bridges 26 and 27 to gauge the severity of the leaks. CRT’s engineers ascertained that the water loss was such that the planks would need to remain in place. The Trust therefore arranged with its engineering contractors to bring forward the start of a planned closure this winter for major work on the 60ft high embankment which will involve 270ft of reinforced concrete channel and 220ft of canal wall repairs.
The Trust said that it was “aware that this will cause difficulties for some customers needing to get to the opposite side of the stoppage to get to their moorings or continue their journeys” and therefore organised a short (two and a half hour) opening for supervised pre-booked passages on 16 October. It will now remain closed until 13 March.
This isn’t the first closure to affect the Cheshire Ring in recent years: it follows on from unscheduled closures for two chamber wall rebuilds at Marple Locks which finally ended in May 2019 after 20 months.
