THE Canal & River Trust has carried out dredging at Gloucester Docks as part of its vital work to manage Britain’s most inland port.
The charity has spent £3 million in the last three years on dredging the docks to allow boats and tall vessels to freely navigate and moor in the heart of Gloucester, located about 35 miles from the mouth of the Bristol Avon. The dredging programme is estimated to have removed about 2500 cubic metres of silt – enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
The docks form part of a vital supply chain providing half of the daily water supply for residents and businesses in Bristol. Water is pumped from the River Severn into Gloucester Docks, and along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. Unfortunately, this also brings tonnes of silt into the docks from the river, and the CRT carries out an annual programme of dredging to remove it.
Environmental company Land & Water has undertaken the latest work, using a digger mounted on a barge. The silt is then loaded onto a hopper and transported down the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal to a site near Parkend Bridge for safe disposal.
Paul Fox, a senior project manager at the trust, said: “Every year we dredge huge amounts of silt from Gloucester Docks as part of our ongoing programme of maintenance.
“The build-up, caused by water pumped in from the Severn, is monitored by regular surveys so our charity can take action to remove it and ensure craft are able to enter and navigate the docks, including for the popular Tall Ships festival, which is next taking place in 2027.
“Good progress has been made to maintain the depths required with a couple of barge loads of silt being removed each day during the work.”
The docks are set to welcome thousands of visitors again this summer to enjoy being by the water and surrounded by history, including the popular National Waterways Museum Gloucester.
