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FISH REHOMED AS CANAL CHARITY CARRIES OUT REPAIRS TO LANCASTER CANAL


Ray T

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Press release

13 November 2019

 

FISH REHOMED AS CANAL CHARITY CARRIES OUT REPAIRS TO LANCASTER CANAL

 

The Canal & River Trust, the national waterways and wellbeing charity, has started work to repair Lune Embankment on the Lancaster Canal.  

 

The charity, which cares for 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales, is investing nearly £1.5 million refurbishing the 200-year old stretch of canal. 

 

In order to carry out the much-needed repairs, the iconic Lune Aqueduct will be drained, and a team of fisheries experts will brave the cold water to remove the fish, including roach, perch, eels, chub and bream. The fish will be safely rehomed in another stretch of the canal.   A 240-metre section of the canal bed will then be relined with a man-made liner which is a modern take on the clay that would have been used to help keep the canal watertight 200 years ago when the Aqueduct was first built. The towpath will remain open throughout the work which is expected to be completed by March 2020.

 

Built by canal engineer John Rennie between 1794 and 1797, the Lune Aqueduct is architecturally one the finest aqueducts in England, carrying the Lancaster Canal over the River Lune on five semi-circular arches each of 70ft span.

 

Graham Ramsden, project manager at Canal & River Trust said: “The Lancaster Canal is one of the North West’s most popular canals used by thousands of boaters who visit each year and is a valuable resource for the local community who use it every day as an amazing place to go for a walk, cycle or simply to get away from it all and get close to nature.

 

For a number of years there had been minor seepage from the canal bed where the stone aqueduct joins the soil embankment.  By investing this money we’re not only protecting the historic fabric of the canal but ensuring that people can continue to spend time by the water which we know from research is so important for people’s health and wellbeing.”

 

Known as the ‘black and white’ canal, the Lancaster Canal originally connected Kendal to Preston and was built to transport coal barges north from Lancashire's coalfields and limestone south from Cumbria.  It is one of the country’s few coastal canals. Built along the natural lie of the land it offers 41 miles of lock free cruising - the longest lock-free stretch in the country.

 

For more on the work of the Canal & River Trust and to find out how you can volunteer and donate to support our work visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

 

-ends-

 

For further media requests please contact:

Helen Hall, Canal & River Trust

m 077177 60284 e helen.hall@canalrivertrust.org.uk 

Edited by Ray T
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Having been there this year I would second what Matty said.  

 

Also I would challenge the "thousands of boaters" comment, even at full utilisation  I doubt the Ribble Link has a capacity of much more than a hundred boats each way over the summer (it is closed in the winter).  Also the canal is rather deserted of boats, both based there and visiting, even on a sunny August bank holiday weekend.

 

Finally I thought it was the embankment between the road and river aqueducts that was having the work done on it not the aqueduct it's self, although the aqueduct is drained based on the photos on Facebook. 

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14 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Having been there this year I would second what Matty said.  

 

Also I would challenge the "thousands of boaters" comment, even at full utilisation  I doubt the Ribble Link has a capacity of much more than a hundred boats each way over the summer (it is closed in the winter).  Also the canal is rather deserted of boats, both based there and visiting, even on a sunny August bank holiday weekend.

 

Finally I thought it was the embankment between the road and river aqueducts that was having the work done on it not the aqueduct it's self, although the aqueduct is drained based on the photos on Facebook. 

From the press-release: "For a number of years there had been minor seepage from the canal bed where the stone aqueduct joins the soil embankment" so they aren't saying it's the aqueduct itself, it is embankment work.

Also, they aren't saying thousands of boats are using the Ribble Link, just that "thousands of boaters visit each year", which, with all the resident and hire boaters included, could well be correct.

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58 minutes ago, rgreg said:

From the press-release: "For a number of years there had been minor seepage from the canal bed where the stone aqueduct joins the soil embankment" so they aren't saying it's the aqueduct itself, it is embankment work.

Also, they aren't saying thousands of boats are using the Ribble Link, just that "thousands of boaters visit each year", which, with all the resident and hire boaters included, could well be correct.

I think even if you included hire boats, of which there are only a few on the Lancaster, you still would not get to thousands of boaters visiting.  Boaters with boats based on the Lancaster would not be “visiting”.  Just sounds like spin to me, in reality it’s a little used waterway, and the press release seems to feel the need to big it up.  No problem with them fixing the leak, but just tell the truth, too much fake news in the world at the moment.

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2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

I think even if you included hire boats, of which there are only a few on the Lancaster, you still would not get to thousands of boaters visiting.  Boaters with boats based on the Lancaster would not be “visiting”.  Just sounds like spin to me, in reality it’s a little used waterway, and the press release seems to feel the need to big it up.  No problem with them fixing the leak, but just tell the truth, too much fake news in the world at the moment.

Well, they could play down the canal's visitor numbers and therefore undermine their ability to justify the maintenance funding. Personally, I'd prefer to see the maximum amount of waterway being kept navigable.

  • Greenie 4
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5 hours ago, john6767 said:

I think even if you included hire boats, of which there are only a few on the Lancaster, you still would not get to thousands of boaters visiting.  Boaters with boats based on the Lancaster would not be “visiting”.  Just sounds like spin to me, in reality it’s a little used waterway, and the press release seems to feel the need to big it up.  No problem with them fixing the leak, but just tell the truth, too much fake news in the world at the moment.

Visit - Definition:

an occasion when someone goes to a place for pleasure

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  • 2 weeks later...

And we was hoping to cruise up to the Lancaster xmas markets for the weekend. Love to moor outside the Water Witch and have a few late drinks of the good Moonshine they sell.  Ah well next year maybe. 

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Oh they could do some bloody dredging while there on the Lanky, been from Garstang to Lancaster atleast 6 times now and 5 of the times either bottomed out giving way to other boat ( maybe me being to kind ) or props fouled 4 times. 

 

I am sure of the majority of the Lanky dwellers agree it needs dredging, sod a bit of seepage. Rains enough to keep it full.

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4 hours ago, W+T said:

And we was hoping to cruise up to the Lancaster xmas markets for the weekend. Love to moor outside the Water Witch and have a few late drinks of the good Moonshine they sell.  Ah well next year maybe. 

You still can from the south; the stoppage is north of the Waterwitch.

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4 hours ago, W+T said:

Oh they could do some bloody dredging while there on the Lanky, been from Garstang to Lancaster atleast 6 times now and 5 of the times either bottomed out giving way to other boat ( maybe me being to kind ) or props fouled 4 times. 

 

I am sure of the majority of the Lanky dwellers agree it needs dredging, sod a bit of seepage. Rains enough to keep it full.

They have done quite a bit of dredging in recent times but it can always use more. Just get braver at playing chicken! 

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