Major breach at Whitchurch on Llangollen

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, cuthound said:

 

Or an opportunity for the government to increase CRT funding to prevent future similar occurrences?

Not a chance in hell 😕

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, cuthound said:

 

Or an opportunity for the government to increase CRT funding to prevent future similar occurrences?

 

Why would the Government want to contribute (increase funding) - the breech and associated costs and damages will not be bourne by them.

[billh]

1 minute ago, cuthound said:

 

Or an opportunity for the government to increase CRT funding to prevent future similar occurrences?

That's what I was thinking,  though not so much an opportunity, more like a wake up call.

[jonathanA]

if its not already been said, its fortunate that no one on those boats was injured or worse... must have been horrific to be on any of those boats close by... 

 

 

[cuthound]

1 minute ago, mrsmelly said:

Not a chance in hell 😕

 

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Why would the Government want to contribute (increase funding) - the breech and associated costs and damages will not be bourne by them.

 

Funding CRT will be pocket change for the government and given the popularity of the Llangollen may be possible if the media raise this as being due to previous government cuts.

 

Governments don't always apply logic when making funding decisions. Many are made to head off negative publicity for them.

[TunnelTiger]

3 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

If you eyeball the earlier photo, the gunnel height of the two narrowboats in the hole is well below the original canal bed height probably 2 to 3 ft.  = plenty of working height to reform a new canal bed. Having seen the latest photos I reckon getting in heavy plant for a lift now looks even more problematic than when I posted. If the hulls are sitting on a collapsed culver they need to be removed otherwise its cheaper to slice off the cabin tops and fill them with hardcore as the rebuild progresses. Why add two months and £1 million to the rebuild costs just to rescue two narrowboats that probably need to be written off if they buckled a few inches during the downward slide?

 

You really haven't got a clue.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

If anyone wonders why the BSS has all that stuff about securing batteries and gas bottles, now you know. 

[David Mack]

5 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

If anyone wonders why the BSS has all that stuff about securing batteries and gas bottles, now you know. 

A real disaster movie would not only have footage of the boats tipping into the breach, but also the explosion resulting from the anchor and moorings pins in the gas locker moving, creating sparks and igniting the contents of the gas bottles!

[Durhamdales]

Nantwich 1907! 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

A real disaster movie would not only have footage of the boats tipping into the breach, but also the explosion resulting from the anchor and moorings pins in the gas locker moving, creating sparks and igniting the contents of the gas bottles!

And a flaming wheel rolling out of the fireball, despite there being no wheels on a narrowboat!

[StevieN]

6 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

And a flaming wheel rolling out of the fireball, despite there being no wheels on a narrowboat!

Don't give the AI idiots ideas! 

[robtheplod]

1 minute ago, StevieN said:

Don't give the AI idiots ideas! 

these recent AI boat videos look quite tame now!

[WulfNut]

3 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

I have often thought it odd that a popular major canal is principally filled from the output of a sewerage works, is this just local lore or for real?

It's true, I used to fish right where the outflow was when I was a kid because it would push my float over to the far bank. I think my dad used to park in ball lane but I might be getting my places mixed up.  It didn't usually stink, sometimes there was a pong but nothing overly significant.   

[David Mack]

6 minutes ago, StevieN said:

Don't give the AI idiots ideas! 

Like this Llangollen breach?

 

[TheBiscuits]

29 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

If anyone wonders why the BSS has all that stuff about securing batteries and gas bottles, now you know. 

 

The "Gas isolation valve below" labels have become more accurate as well ...

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 minutes ago, WulfNut said:

It's true, I used to fish right where the outflow was when I was a kid because it would push my float over to the far bank. I think my dad used to park in ball lane but I might be getting my places mixed up.  It didn't usually stink, sometimes there was a pong but nothing overly significant.   

Those of us boating on the Shroppie and Staffs and Worc this last summer gone were very grateful to the good people of Wolverhampton and their kidneys.

[Momac]

Pleased to hear everyone has sufficient warning to get off the boats and no one is injured, But certainly this must have been a shocking experience.

Although a rare event this is perhaps a good  reason to have full insurance , not just third party.

[Jon57]

5 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Like this Llangollen breach?

 

Not funny at this time. As one of the boats at the bottom of the breech is a friend. Please everyone try and keep these silly comments to yourselfs thanks 

[EnglishRose]

We live in Grindley Brook and have the canal running through our garden. The canal level here has dropped by a good metre if not more. The canal is shut from Hurleston preventing anyone from getting onto the Llangollen. There is of course no flow and the bywash in our garden is empty..

 

A boat early this morning attempted to pass us and went up the lock at bridge 28 before realising, then had to reverse all the way back to the mooring just under bridge 27. It is chaos....

[Jon57]

1 minute ago, Jon57 said:

Not funny at this time. As one of the boats at the bottom of the breech is a friend. Please everyone try and keep these silly comments to yourselfs thanks 

 

[Francis Herne]

27 minutes ago, Durhamdales said:

Nantwich 1907! 

That isn't Nantwich - Marston breach, near Lion Salt Works on the T&M south of Anderton.

https://lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk/about-us/history-stories/the-great-canal-burst/

[David Mack]

1 minute ago, EnglishRose said:

The canal is shut from Hurleston preventing anyone from getting onto the Llangollen.

Inevitable given that there is no flow coming down the canal now. My guess is that a temporary pipe around the breach will soon be in place to restore the flow to Hurleston reservoir, and that, together with another temporary dam, will allow the canal to be refilled between the breach and Grindley Brook locks, so boats currently in that section can be refloated, and navigation (or at least limited navigation) restored between the breach and Hurleston Junction.

[Durhamdales]

23 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

That isn't Nantwich - Marston breach, near Lion Salt Works on the T&M south of Anderton.

https://lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk/about-us/history-stories/the-great-canal-burst/

You’re right! I misread the card! 
Nice to know more about it - I’ve had the card for years!

[CV32]

This is in the telegraph - a video of the boat disappearing into the hole .... 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/22/narrowboats-plunge-into-canal-sinkhole/

[magnetman]

 

48 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

The "Gas isolation valve below" labels have become more accurate as well ...

.

 

I am guessing the person who designed the label had experienced an incident of a scary variety and decided addition of exclamation marks was helpful so people understand it better. 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2025 by magnetman