A HIDDEN stretch of the Swansea Canal could be brought back into use as part of an ambitious housing project. A petition has been launched calling for around 100 yards of the waterway, which is currently buried beneath a former council highways depot in Clydach, to be opened up once more. If carried out it would provide a continuous navigable stretch between Pontardawe and Ynystawe....
A boatyard has invested £450,000 in a new workshop to support its success in keeping alive traditional Broads craftsmanship....
Must have a head for heights! London's Tower Bridge unveils £1m glass walkway 140ft above River Thames... ...
People in Swindon are being urged to get behind a £50,000 TV fundraising bid which could see a kilometre of canal banks restored. The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust is hoping to secure the money to create the Studley Wildlife Trail. But to bag the cash, from the Big Lottery Fund, the group needs people to vote for their cause during a TV competition, being run in conjunction with ITV....
A recent visit to The Wooden Canal Boat Society’s boatyard in Stalybridge, opened Dial2Donate’s eyes further, exposing the extent to which renovating 100 year old Hazel is set to be a blood, sweat and tears task. Tired looking Hazel may have seen better days but with the selfless work of skipper Chris Leah and his dedicated crew of volunteers, she is set to excel once more – providing wellbeing trips along the North’s winding waterways....
Through the centre of town, the river takes up more space than Hyde Park. And most of the proposals around it represent a huge missed opportunity...
The fire at Staffordshire-based SP Fireworks on Thursday 30 October has gutted the offices of neighbouring business River Canal Rescue, destroying all stock and membership documents. RCR Managing Director Stephanie Horton was in the office at the time of the explosions, which blasted outside her front door. She managed to escape and was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. Steph comments: “Although we’ve lost everything and our emergency lines are down, our database is up and running and callouts will continue to be answered. Boat owners in need of assistance can contact us on 01785 785680.” The blaze at the premises on the Baswich Industrial Estate, Tilcon Avenue, took around three hours to bring under control and at its peak, was tackled by a team of 50 fire fighters. The area remains closed and sealed off. Steph concedes she and those working in nearby offices had a lucky escape and is thankful more weren’t injured. She concludes: “Our business continuity plans ensure we’re able to help those who need us - we’ll do our best to keep things running smoothly.”...
A narrow boat has flipped and sunk while going through the lock system in Cassiobury Park. The Grand Union Canal by Iron Bridge Lock has been closed while the boat is recovered - which is expected to take a couple of days. Initial investigations indicate the accident was due to "boater error"....
A £5 billion new town on the banks of the Grand Union Canal is being planned for the vast Cargiant supermarket site at Old Oak Common. The world’s biggest motor dealership wants to build around 9,500 homes and a new high street on the sprawling 45-acre site in west London it has occupied for 34 years. Other elements of the vision include a “cultural hub” in the Art Deco former Rolls-Royce car maintenance works building that now serves as Cargiant’s HQ, a primary and secondary school and a new dock on the canal for leisure craft....
Work is due to start on a new pedestrian and cycling bridge across the River Thames in Reading. The 394ft (120m) bridge is being built to give dedicated access for walkers and cyclists between Caversham and Reading Station and the town centre. Reading Borough Council said the work would begin later this month, with the steel bridge opening by summer 2015....
Traffic on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was brought to a halt yesterday when a 60ft narrowboat got stuck between lock gates. Veteran boatman John Lund, who has run his 70-ft pleasure boat Moonraker on the canal for 23 years, abandoned his own boat to help the stricken crew in Dobcross. ...
Enthusiasts have launched an appeal for funding to transform a narrowboat into a floating classroom to help educate people about canals. Members of Etruria Boat Group have set a target of £16,000 to completely overhaul the 54-year-old craft Keppel in order to use it as a mobile resource. And their efforts have been buoyed after receiving a £5,000 donation from a 'friend', who wishes to remain anonymous. ...
When construction of the M6 was in its final planning stage, a delegation from Westmorland reputedly travelled to London to ask the then Conservative Transport Minister Ernest Marples not to let the motorway cut off the upper reach of the Lancaster Canal. Apparently, the minister declined to even meet the delegates or address their concerns about the waterway. It was a shortsighted decision by a politician who ought to have cared more about our northern heritage. But then motorways were new and exciting while canals were old and virtually useless. It is difficult to believe such a decision would be made today - the canal would be properly bridged to allow vessels to pass underneath....
A teenager was rescued from the river Thames on Sunday after jumping into the water near Westminster as part of a dare. The lifeboat crew from Tower RNLI had been on another callout when they heard radio traffic from passenger vessels nearby alerting them to a boy in the water. The crew headed to the scene immediately to find the 16-year-old, who had almost disappeared below the waterline. ...
A Derbyshire pub has been forced to close after health inspectors saw a live mouse as well as droppings on plates and next to drinking glasses in the bar. The shocking discovery was made at the Steamboat Inn at Trent Lock, Sawley, last Wednesday and the pub was forced to close on Friday. Mouse droppings were found under kitchen equipment, close to food serving and food preparation equipment such as the microwave oven and on plates. ...
Dozens of colourful narrow boats navigated to Savile Town Wharf for the sixth annual Dewsbury Canal Festival. The event on the Calder and Hebble Navigation encourages people to get out in the open and recognise the importance of the canal on their doorstep. On Sunday, the Wharf hosted a traditional boat festival with stalls, boat rides and a boat-pull competition, where teams tried to pull a canal boat over a measured distance in the shortest possible time. Boats were also judged on their appearance in the ‘best dressed boat competition’. The event was organised in partnership with Calder Valley Marine, which manages the site; the Canal and River Trust and Groundwork Leeds – as part of Dewsbury Water Linked, a Big Lottery funded project....
Up to 3,000 weevils have been dropped into a canal in Gloucestershire in a bid to clear it of a "voracious" fern. The 2mm-long beetles have been released into the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal by the Canal and River Trust, to feed on the invasive plant azolla. The plant, which can double in size in days, forms thick floating mats which can threaten native wildlife. Laura Plenty, from the trust, said: "Weevils breed quickly and only eat azolla, so should be effective." The plant, also known as the fairy fern, is a "voracious grower" which can completely cover waterways in weeks, blocking out light and reducing oxygen levels in the water....
More than 36 volunteers from the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) will be working to clear the Ironville Locks at Cromford Canal until August 2. Supporting the work of the Friends of the Cromford Canal the clearance of the lock chambers will allow for a survey to be carried out helping plan for their restoration in the future. Volunteers, from all over the world, are shovelling mud from the lock chamber....
A "cold and exhausted" cow that was stuck in a canal up to its neck in Greater Manchester has been rescued. The animal, which is believed to have escaped from a nearby field, was found sinking in mud in Worsley's Bridgewater Canal at 10:00 BST by fire crews. Watch manager John Wildman said steps and a ramp were fashioned by firefighters to help the cow but "she didn't have the energy to walk out". He said the crews later used a tractor to lift the animal from the water. "It would appear she had been there some time because she was absolutely exhausted and couldn't do anything to help herself," he said....
Water music rang out as the late Queen Mother’s two boat trips to relaunch the Avon and the Stratford Canal as navigable waterways were recreated. Members of The Orchestra of the Swan’s wind and brass section played aboard two floating pontoons on Friday July 4 to mark the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the canal and the 40th year since the river was reopened from Evesham to Stratford. The event was organised by waterways charity the Avon Navigation Trust (ANT) and Canal & River Trust, with help from Bancroft Cruisers. ...
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