A ‘perfect storm’ is threatening the future of our fragile canal network - Sean McGinley
Yorkshire is blessed with a rich system of canals, and it’s incredible to think that this amazing 250-year-old network is busier nowadays than at the height of the Industrial Revolution, with more boats using it and millions walking and cycling on the towpaths.
Yorkshire’s 320-mile canal network shapes much of our region, with not only the waterways winding their way through our villages, towns and cities, but also the many bridges, embankments, aqueducts and locks that are iconic landmarks. An innovative feat of engineering in its time and still awe-inspiring, in essence the canal network is a free-to-visit, outdoors, working museum – a national treasure. And canals still have a valuable role to play in society today, bringing nature, vital green space and traffic-free routes to millions of people in many of our most urban areas.
However, a ‘perfect storm’ is threatening the very future of our fragile canal network. Canal & River Trust, the charity which cares for the nation’s canals, needs to constantly maintain and repair these ageing waterways and their structures which, combined with climate change and shrinking government support, poses many challenges.
But it’s not all doom and gloom; our charity is striving to overcome these odds and we’re acting now to keep our canals open and alive. We’ve launched our first fundraising campaign to raise much needed support in the face of the rising cost of repairing storm and flood damage. Last winter alone, a succession of ‘named’ storms amounted to £10m of additional and unforeseen repairs to waterways across the country. This is not a negligible sum for our charity to find when our funding is already stretched and, this winter, we’ve already seen several storms cause more costly damage.
And all of this is in addition to our annual planned winter works programme of heritage and conservation maintenance tasks which is now underway across Yorkshire. Over the next few months, new lock gates, handcrafted in our charity’s specialist workshop in Stanley Ferry, Wakefield, are being installed, while other work includes masonry repairs to centuries-old bridges and tunnels, work to fix leaks and preserve water for navigation, and inspections of important ageing infrastructure.
On the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, at Bank Newton, near Gargrave, lock gates are being replaced and repairs made to lock chambers, quoins and cills. Leeds Lock 1 behind Leeds railway station has also been drained for essential work to be undertaken. Vital repairs are also being made to Cowling Swing Bridge, while Booth’s Swing Bridge, near Keighley, has been repaired and is open again. Elsewhere in Yorkshire, there will be lock gate replacements and repairs along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Aire & Calder Navigation, South Yorkshire Navigation and Chesterfield Canal.
Our modern-day engineers are using innovative techniques and materials to make the canals stronger and more resilient, coming up with ingenious solutions to the challenges they encounter as the 18th century engineers, who were pioneers of their time, built all the canals with locally sourced materials and to different dimensions and characteristics.
Keeping our canals open and safe requires millions of pounds and a year-round effort, which is why we are asking you, the great British public, to support our charity to help our canal network weather the storm and hold strong this winter. With your donation, our specialist teams can respond to severe weather damage and keep our canals open for all.
Visit our website canalrivertrust.org.uk to donate to our fundraising campaign or find out how you can donate your time and become a volunteer.
Sean McGinley is a regional director at the Canal & River Trust.