The Calder & Hebble Navigation is likely to remain shut for a year as a result of damage caused by the winter floods
The Calder & Hebble Navigation is likely to remain shut for a year as a result of damage caused by the winter floods – and the repair costs could hit £2m.
As reported last month, there was damage along various lengths of the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the Rochdale Canal where it runs through the Calder valley, but with three serious issues: a burst culvert under the Rochdale at Mytholmroyd, an eroded towpath embankment on the Rochdale east of Todmorden, and a damaged lockside at one of the Figure of Three Locks on the Calder & Hebble. It is the third of these which will be the biggest repair job.
Flood water from the Calder washed away a large amount of material from behind the lock chamber wall, causing major damage to the wall. The Canal & River Trust’s Yorkshire & North East Director Sean McGinley said: “While our initial estimates indicate Figure of Three Locks will be closed for 12 months and repairs will cost in excess of £2 million, these figures will be refined in the coming weeks with the assistance of our engineers and contractors.”
He added that it was “the most damaged single structure on the Trust’s entire 2,000 mile network” following the storms.
