Bridgewater Canal Breach

[IanD]

1 minute ago, haggis said:

Ah, but you might be saying something new 😃

As might you... 😉 

[magnetman]

Is this the five minute argument or the full half hour?

[dogless]

I still believe it'll be repaired to permit through navigation.

 

Just saying seeing as everybody else is being pessimistic  😁

 

2027 sounds about right too. 🤞

 

Rog

Edited April 9, 2025 by dogless

[1st ade]

On 03/04/2025 at 19:07, David Mack said:

...and the last regular traffic ceased when the city's sewage sludge could no longer be transported along the canal for dumping at sea.

That explains a teenage entry in my diary of (maybe) 50 years ago? "Went on a school trip on the Manchester Ship Canal and saw a large boat called 'Salford City Sewage Ship'" (you know how children like something that sounds vaguely 'naughty'?)

[junior]

Me too, of course it'll be reopened. I also reckon 2027. 

[magnetman]

Cor blimey guvnor this sunshine sure is raising optimism levels ! 

 

I also think it will reopen but in 2026. 

and now for some highly motivational music. Eye of the Tiger eat your heart out ! 

 

 

Yaay, I'm a big kid !

[IanD]

1 hour ago, dogless said:

I still believe it'll be repaired to permit through navigation.

 

Just saying seeing as everybody else is being pessimistic  😁

 

2027 sounds about right too. 🤞

 

Rog

I really hope that you're all correct, because it not reopening would be a disaster for the canals in the NW.

 

However until we see the outcome of the engineering survey/project planning/costing that the BCC come up with and then see whether Peel can be persuaded to pay for it, this is all speculation... 😉 

[dogless]

It always was, as has been said previously.

 

But it's as likely to prove true as your pessimistic view ... innit 👍🏻

 

Rog

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, dogless said:

It always was, as has been said previously.

 

But it's as likely to prove true as your pessimistic view ... innit 👍🏻

 

Rog

You say pessimistic, I say realistic... 😉 

 

Other opinions are available 🙂 

[magnetman]

There is a half a glass of milk. 

 

The optimist says it is half full. 

The pessimist says it is half empty. 

 

I say it is sour. 

 

(nicked from 'The day today' TV series)

 

 

 

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, magnetman said:

There is a half a glass of milk. 

 

The optimist says it is half full. 

The pessimist says it is half empty. 

 

I say it is sour. 

 

(nicked from 'The day today' TV series)

 

 

And the engineer will point out the glass is too big....

 

[dogless]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

You say pessimistic, I say realistic... 😉 

 

 

Let's call the whole thing off

 

Rog

[magnetman]

From the wikiedia arrrticle

 

 The Bridgewater Canal is described as the first great achievement of the canal age, although the Sankey Canal opened earlier. Bridgewater captured the public imagination because of its engineering feats; it required the construction of an aqueduct to cross the River Irwell, and a tunnel at Worsley. Its success helped inspire a period of intense canal building in Britain, known as Canal Mania

 

 

 

 

 

[Pluto]

3 hours ago, 1st ade said:

That explains a teenage entry in my diary of (maybe) 50 years ago? "Went on a school trip on the Manchester Ship Canal and saw a large boat called 'Salford City Sewage Ship'" (you know how children like something that sounds vaguely 'naughty'?)

The Gilbert J Fowler waits above Latchford Locks for the small chamber to empty in 1980. The traffic ended in 1999.

[magnetman]

Was this night soil traffic?

What a great image !

[Pluto]

Just the usual sewage scraps from the purification process. It would probably kill anything you tried to grow, unlike night soil which was just unpretentious sh*t. I have copies of some L&LC papers looking at the decline in quality of night soil by the 1920s.

[junior]

Update from Bridgewater Canal Company a short time ago, including 'Full Reopening by December 2026' stated as their aim.

 

I'm sure you doom mongers will still pick the wording to pieces and conclude that Peel have no intention of reopening the canal for navigation etc...

[dogless]

Great news thanks 👍🏻

 

Rog

[IanD]

27 minutes ago, junior said:

Update from Bridgewater Canal Company a short time ago, including 'Full Reopening by December 2026' stated as their aim.

 

I'm sure you doom mongers will still pick the wording to pieces and conclude that Peel have no intention of reopening the canal for navigation etc...

Not at all, if it's an update from the BCC saying their aim is "full reopening by Dec 2026" then nothing has changed unless there's a commitment from Peel to pay for it.

 

Is there? If there is, that would be great news, and we can all celebrate... 🙂 

 

Intentions and aims are meaningless platitudes (like "40 new hospitals") unless/until somebody coughs up the £millions... 😉 

 

That's not doom-mongering, it's recognising how companies like Peel (or the Tories...) work in real life... 😞 

Edited April 17, 2025 by IanD

[Arthur Marshall]

I think it's more or less what was quoted before. Here it is:

 

"Since the breach at Little Bollington in early January, the Bridgewater Canal team has worked hard to protect the canal and surrounding infrastructure. With emergency measures now in place – including stoplogs, an earth dam and temporary Portadams.

We’re pleased to share that procurement work is now underway for a more robust medium-term solution, involving new timber stoplogs and a permanent earth dam on either side of the breach. This will allow us to safely remove the temporary Portadams and maintain canal integrity while long-term repairs progress. This will further reduce the unnavigable section to half a mile.

Although it’s still early days, we’re currently aiming to have the canal fully reopened to navigation – including the Cheshire Ring – by December 2026. Initial consultations on repair design have begun, and we hope to appoint an engineering consultancy in the coming months.

To date, around £300,000 has been invested in stabilising and protecting the canal following the breach. We remain committed to keeping the community, our boating customers and all interested parties updated as plans develop.

We’re also in early discussions with the local Inland Waterways Association (IWA) branch about supporting a potential event in Lymm this August, where we’d look to showcase plans, graphics and a repair timeline."

[Hudds Lad]

6 minutes ago, IanD said:

Not at all, if it's an update from the BCC saying their aim is "full reopening by Dec 2026" then nothing has changed unless there's a commitment from Peel to pay for it.

 

Is there? If there is, that would be great news... 🙂 

 

Intentions and aims are meaningless platitudes (like "40 new hospitals") unless/until somebody coughs up the £millions... 😉 

 

That's not doom-mongering, it's recognising how companies like Peel (or the Tories...) work in real life... 😞 

 

https://bridgewatercanal.co.uk/latest-news/bridgewater-canal-breach-update-april-2025/

 

Bridgewater Canal Breach Update – April 2025

April 17, 2025

Since the breach at Little Bollington in early January, the Bridgewater Canal team has worked hard to protect the canal and surrounding infrastructure. With emergency measures now in place – including stoplogs, an earth dam and temporary Portadams.

We’re pleased to share that procurement work is now underway for a more robust medium-term solution, involving new timber stoplogs and a permanent earth dam on either side of the breach. This will allow us to safely remove the temporary Portadams and maintain canal integrity while long-term repairs progress. This will further reduce the unnavigable section to half a mile.

Although it’s still early days, we’re currently aiming to have the canal fully reopened to navigation – including the Cheshire Ring – by December 2026. Initial consultations on repair design have begun, and we hope to appoint an engineering consultancy in the coming months.

To date, around £300,000 has been invested in stabilising and protecting the canal following the breach. We remain committed to keeping the community, our boating customers and all interested parties updated as plans develop.

We’re also in early discussions with the local Inland Waterways Association (IWA) branch about supporting a potential event in Lymm this August, where we’d look to showcase plans, graphics and a repair timeline.

For questions or more information, please visit the Bridgewater Canal website or email bridgewatercanal@peel.co.uk. 

Thank you again to everyone for your ongoing patience and support,

Peter Parkinson 

Managing Director – Bridgewater Canal

[haggis]

Thank you ,Arthur for posting this. Looks promising 

[IanD]

20 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I think it's more or less what was quoted before. Here it is:

 

"Since the breach at Little Bollington in early January, the Bridgewater Canal team has worked hard to protect the canal and surrounding infrastructure. With emergency measures now in place – including stoplogs, an earth dam and temporary Portadams.

We’re pleased to share that procurement work is now underway for a more robust medium-term solution, involving new timber stoplogs and a permanent earth dam on either side of the breach. This will allow us to safely remove the temporary Portadams and maintain canal integrity while long-term repairs progress. This will further reduce the unnavigable section to half a mile.

Although it’s still early days, we’re currently aiming to have the canal fully reopened to navigation – including the Cheshire Ring – by December 2026. Initial consultations on repair design have begun, and we hope to appoint an engineering consultancy in the coming months.

To date, around £300,000 has been invested in stabilising and protecting the canal following the breach. We remain committed to keeping the community, our boating customers and all interested parties updated as plans develop.

We’re also in early discussions with the local Inland Waterways Association (IWA) branch about supporting a potential event in Lymm this August, where we’d look to showcase plans, graphics and a repair timeline."

 

I assume there's also still the bit about "speaking on behalf of the BCC, not Peel"?

 

In which case, fine words still butter no parsnips -- the BCC has spent £300k and would really like to reopen the canal to navigation (for obvious reasons, otherwise they have no purpose!), but so far doesn't know where the ~10x more money needed to do this will come from... 😞 

 

17 minutes ago, haggis said:

Thank you ,Arthur for posting this. Looks promising 

Looks *exactly* the same as it did a month ago, all sizzle but no steak... 😞 

 

Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely *love* this all to go ahead as the BCC are aiming for (full reopening to navigation), but the unpleasant fact is that -- like the Tories and their 40 hospitals -- it looks like they simply don't have the money to pay for it, only Peel (or their insurers) do and they're saying nothing. Until that changes, it's all just fine-sounding promises, with a half-mile gap between the two dams.

 

The BCC aren't to blame for this, they're making all the right noises and doing all the right things, but I doubt that their pockets are deep enough to do what they want to... 😞 

Edited April 17, 2025 by IanD

[David Mack]

The statement, welcome as it is, says pretty much the same as Peter Parkinson's letter to IWA posted here on 8 April. But in that letter Mr Parkinson specifically stated he was speaking on behalf of the Bridgewater Canal Company only, and not the wider Peel organisation. So if BCC has (or can raise) the money all good. If not, then the promised reopening is probanly dependent on Peel putting their hands in their pocket.

[Wafi]

For anyone who speaks accountancy, the Bridgewater Canal Company's latest accounts are available here.

 

I do not speak accountancy, but to my uneducated eye the company appears to be valued somewhere over £18 million, of which £5.8 million appears to be a loan (or loans) to other parts of the Peel Group. If the company does have a statutory obligation to repair the canal, I'd have thought the only way Peel Group could avoid doing that would be to declare BCC bankrupt, which would appear to be more costly than funding the repair (assuming guesstimates of £10 million are correct).

 

My guess is that they'll use some sort of financial chicanery to offset the cost against profits elsewhere in the group, meaning the actual cost to the group (after tax savings) will be substantially lower than the headline cost.

 

Of course, I could be totally wrong, I'm just a humble engineer. Any accountants care to comment?