THE Canal & River Trust has had to close a section of the North Oxford Canal near the village of Brinklow in Warwickshire after an 18m-high section of embankment slipped, blocking the canal and the towpath.
This slippage happened late last week after a period of intense, heavy rainfall, and resulted in a huge amount of soil, debris, and large mature trees being deposited into the canal, all of which will now need specialist removal by the Trust.
Richard Preston, regional operations manager said: “This is a huge challenge for us. Clearing the debris and getting the canal and towpath back open is likely to cost our charity several £hundreds of thousands. Accessing the embankment is difficult as it’s steep and the ground is saturated, so it’s likely we’ll need to bring the specialist machinery in by boat.
“This damage is one of the very real effects we’re seeing of climate change affecting our canals. Increasing extremes in weather patterns are bringing considerable challenges to our ageing infrastructure, some of which is over 250 years old. This is costing us a huge amount as we manage this growing risk to this wonderful canal heritage.
He added; “While the effects of storms are dramatic, heavy rain isn’t the only climate challenge facing the waterways. Long, dry spells can also be a serious problem, causing earth structures to dry out and increasing their vulnerability to erosion, especially when followed by intense rainfall when the weather breaks.”
Contractors and engineers from Canal & River Trust are already on site to begin the massive task of removing the debris from the canal. The canal and towpath are expected to stay closed for several weeks whilst the works are ongoing. Thankfully, no property or boats have been damaged. Boaters, walkers and cyclists can keep up to date with the works progress via the stoppage notices page https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/27385-easenhall-cutting-brinklow-oxford-canal
