OnTheCut

We're pleased to advise works are complete, and the navigation is no longer restricted.

We're pleased to advise piling works have been completed stabilising the embankment. The existing managed restriction between 8am to 3:30pm is still in place during weekdays, to allow the contractors to complete tasks safely. Contractors will continue to manage the restriction during weekdays between these times, so please follow instructions given by them.

During the weekends and bank holidays, the navigation is open, but please note that temporary works are still in place and the navigation width is restricted to the width of a boat.

Please can we kindly remind boaters to reduce speed to a minimum throughout the restriction, ideally remaining in gear at tick over.

We've reviewed the times when the navigation will be open, but under a managed restriction. The opening times are now 8am to 3pm, seven days a week (including bank holidays.) This is to give greater flexibility to boaters during the boating season.

Our Contractors are on site and will manage boats through the restriction, but there may be occasions when the contractor has to ask boaters to stop and wait for them to complete a task prior safe passage. This could be up to an hour wait, but we'll endeavour to keep this to a minimum when possible.

We'll retain these opening times throughout the managed restriction until the work is completed. The completion of the work is expected to finish on the 31st May, but we'll update this notice should there be any changes.

We'd like to inform our customers of an extension to the opening hours past the works at Cornhill over the Easter weekend.

Friday 29th March to Monday 1st April - Passage will be available from 8am until 4pm.

Tuesday 2nd April - Passage times will go back to 10.30am until 2pm

We're pleased to advise temporary protection for the embankment is now in place. Whilst work continues on a permanent solution, passage past the embankment leak is restricted. Boaters will be asked to keep engines ticking over and their boat will be assisted through the work site by our colleagues, volunteers or contractors working on site.

Passage will be restricted from 10.30am to 2.00pm, each day and closed overnight. Please follow signage and verbal instructions carefully in order to avoid disturbance of temporary repairs and reduce wash, so that we can keep the passage open and safe.

Please be advised the site of the closure is now between Bridge 46 and 47 only. The team are still due to arrive on site by 10:30am today to assist any waiting boats.

The local team have been assisting boats through the closure today. The canal will have to remain closed overnight, but we'll be on hand tomorrow and for the next few days to assist boats through the closure between 10.30am and 2.00pm. We'll update this notice as soon as possible regarding ongoing arrangements.

Thank you for your continued patience.

Work to protect the site of the leak has continued today. This will be tested and monitored over the weekend to ensure the site remains stable.

A further assessment will be made no later than 9.00am on Monday 18th March and if the temporary measures remain secure, restricted boat movement will be implemented.

We apologise for the lateness of this notice, which is due to the challenge in balancing safe and effective works with getting boats through quickly.

We caught a potential breach in the early stages, and our teams quickly responded to secure the canal embankment and prevent further damage. Our priority now is to prevent further collapse whilst establishing a means of temporary repair to allow the canal to reopen. We're working on a plan for permanent repair in the longer term.

As part of our preparations to protect the embankment to allow these works to progress, we have protected the offside edge with a combination of aggregate bags and clay. We're now agreeing a plan for limited boat movement, with this additional protection in place. Any movement would be under strict control from our site team, and it will not be possible for boats to freely pass without guidance for the foreseeable future.

We'll confirm when we're able to offer the managed boat movements as soon as we can, but it may not be before Monday. We will provide a further update tomorrow afternoon (Friday, 15th March).

Contractors have now reached site with their floating plant and are working hard to restore navigation as soon as possible. We should be in a position to provide a further update, hopefully including a confirmed re-opening date, on Wednesday 13th March.

Please be advised navigation remains closed from Bridge 50 to Bridge 46 on the Llangollen Canal, until at least Friday 15th March. The Prees Branch is back open again.

We have identified a significant leak that we have linked to the bed of the canal. Once the site is stable, a process of escorted travel past the site may be possible to help relieve boat traffic.

A further update will be provided on Monday 11th March.