UK: Extreme drought conditions forces part closure of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Monday 2 August 2010

BRITISH Waterways (BW) has taken the very difficult decision to close a 60-mile section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to navigation from Lock 85 (Wigan) to Lock 30 (Gargrave) from Monday 2 August 2010, until further notice.

What is the risk to the rest of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal?

The western section, between Wigan and Liverpool, is supplemented by the River Douglas which is currently at a medium risk status. If the river levels drop much further then the closure could be extended.

The eastern section, between Gargrave and Leeds is currently at green risk status but monitoring of the feeder streams will continue.

The whole of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath remains open however visitors should take extra care on the towpath edge as falling water levels will create higher drops at some points.

What is the risk to other local canals?

The Rochdale Canal is also fed by reservoirs, owned by United Utilities, and we have been working with them very closely to keep the water levels up. There is a risk that increased traffic in the North West will mean that the Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow Canals are put under additional stress and could potentially lead to closures. We will continue to work hard to keep our boaters moving.

What is the risk to other canals across the UK?

There is currently a lower risk of restrictions and closures elsewhere in the UK, however, the situation is been monitored daily and in these exceptional circumstances BW cannot guarantee that there won’t be restrictions in other areas.