£20,000 raised to repair collapsed canal

In March the canal, which runs from Whitchurch to Ellesmere was drained between Stanthorne Lock and Wardle Lock near Middlewich after part of it was breached.

The breach swept away a 70 metre section of the 200-year-old waterway.

Boats were left stranded on the canal and the Canal and Rivers Trust launched an emergency fundraising appeal to raise money to repair it.

On Thursday, the fundraising appeal had already reached almost £20,000 and the trust has thanked people who had donated to the cause.

The final repair bill is likely to be in the region of between £2 million and £3 million and the canal is set to be closed for several months.

A spokeswoman for the Canal and Rivers Trust thanked people for their donations.

She said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has responded so quickly to the emergency appeal to repair the canal breach at Middlewich.

"Every penny will go towards repairing the canal.

"We are currently mobilising all the resources we need to start on this massive job.

"The final repair bill is likely to be in the order of £2 million to £3 million and unfortunately we expect the canal to be closed for several months.”

Following the collapse, emergency engineers for the trust were on the scene to make it safe, after up to 20 boats were left stranded within the space of three quarters of a mile.

The trust launched an investigation into the precise reason for the breach and said they believed it was most likely to have been caused by an increased flow of water along the canal due to paddles at lock gates being left open.

The increased flow is likely to have overtopped the canal at the breach site which. Together with an already sodden embankment following a wet winter it caused the bank to wash away.

Anyone wishing to donate to help repair the section of the canal can do so at canalrivertrust.org.uk/breach