Dredging is being carried out on the centuries-old Ashby Canal as part of a series of improvements to help keep boats moving.
WORK began in early March and was expected to last for roughly nine weeks, focusing on stretches of canal over a 6km length between Sutton Wharf Bridge, near Sutton Cheney, and Wykin Bridge, near Hinckley. The Canal & River Trust is investing more than £400,000 in removing about 4600 cubic metres of sediment from the bed of the canal, making it easier for boaters to navigate.
The work is carried out using a digger, which is secured to a barge, and will haul out accumulations of silt from the bottom of the canal and load it into a hopper barge to be taken away. The material will be taken to nearby agricultural land where, once dried, it will be spread onto fields to fertilise the soil. This is the second dredging phase on the canal, following work last year between Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth. As part of the project, the trust has also cut back trees overhanging the water, widening the channel available to boaters and improving lines of sight along the canal.
Completed in 1804, the Ashby Canal is lock-free, making it popular with novice boaters and people hiring holiday boats.
Linny Beaumont, regional director for the trust, said: “Dredging isn’t a glamorous job, but it’s an essential part of our ongoing work to ensure that boats can continue to navigate our historic waterways.
“Boats have been navigating the Ashby Canal for more than 200 years and it’s vital that they can continue to do so, as boats bring so much colour and life to our canals. They also bring economic benefits, with boaters stopping off to visit local pubs, cafes and shops – so these works are good news for the whole area.”
Nationwide, the charity spends about £7million per year removing tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment from the bottom of its canals.
