£2.4m winter works for West Midlands waterways
Around £2.4 million will be spent on important repairs on waterways across the West Midlands this winter, it has been announced.
The Canal and River Trust will invest the cash over the coming months replacing 41 handcrafted lock gates and carrying out repairs to historic waterway structures.
The works will start in November and continue through until March – and will include repairs along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and Dudley No 1 Canal.
Adnan Saif, regional director for the Canal and River Trust, said: “Research tells us that time spent by the water can help us all to feel happier and healthier, so this programme of works is about far more than bricks and mortar.
“By investing this money over the winter months we’ll not only be protecting the historic fabric of the region’s waterways and making sure that they’re working well for boaters, but we will also be ensuring that local communities have safe, open waterways to enjoy.
“Our expert teams will be braving the elements to make sure that the waterways, which play such an important part in so many people’s daily lives, are in good working order.”
The programme of works include an extensive project along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, which skirts around the edges of Birmingham, running through undulating countryside.
The works will include new bottom gates at locks one and two on the canal at Stourport, grouting to stop leaks at lock number 30 at Wightwick Mill and repairs to the wall at lock 37 in Penkridge.
While brickwork repairs, lock ladder works and lock gate repairs and replacement will also take place along the Dudley No 1 Canal at lock numbers two and eight. The Dudley canal was built to serve the industrial area to the west of Dudley.
Other works include repairing to stop leaks at lock one and two along the Caldon Canal, in Staffordshire, as well as new gates at lock number 12; rebuilding of a weir along the Coventry Canal; and repairs to the bed of the canal near Adderley Lock on the Shropshire Union Canal, as well as new gates at locks number two to four.
The lock gates on the West Midlands’ waterways weigh several tons and typically last around 25 years.
Each new gate is made to measure and handcrafted from seasoned oak to perfectly fit the lock chamber.
