More than 10 miles of the North Stratford Canal are being dredged as part of a major £800,000 maintenance programme led by the Canal & River Trust. The winter works aim to restore canal depth and improve navigation ahead of the spring cruising season.
Silt is being removed from more than 10 miles of the North Stratford Canal, between Kings Norton Junction and Lapworth Lock, as part of a specialist dredging programme carried out by the Canal & River Trust.
The work, which has a total cost of £800,000, began in December and is expected to take around three and a half months to complete. Contractor Ebsford Environmental Ltd is undertaking the project using a floating digger to remove material from the canal bed. The dredged material is transferred into a hopper boat before being offloaded and transported by road for recycling.
The dredgings typically consist of silt, decaying leaves and other natural debris that settle on the canal bed over time, gradually reducing the waterway’s depth and affecting navigation.
Opened in 1816, the North Stratford Canal connects the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at Kings Norton with the River Avon at Stratford-upon-Avon. Historically, it formed part of a wider canal network that enabled coal from the Dudley and Stourbridge Canals to be transported to Oxford and London without passing through Birmingham.
Laura Connor, project manager for the Canal & River Trust, said dredging plays a central role in the charity’s ongoing maintenance programme. She explained that the works are being carried out during the winter so that the canal is ready for increased boating activity in the spring.
She added that investment in the North Stratford Canal will help ensure the historic route remains accessible for boaters and visitors.
Nick Hartley, group managing director of Ebsford Environmental Ltd, said the company has worked closely with the Canal & River Trust for nearly a decade and described it as rewarding to see projects of this scale progress on the ground.
