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Issue 236, June 2025
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88 PAGES LATEST FREIGHT NEWS UPDATES P14
Wisteria W isteria b byy tthe he water water
FYSSCH & CHIPPER: BOAT REVIEW P56
The wisteria on Top Lock Cottage is in full bloom and the new defibrillator, funded by the local CRT volunteers, is fixed to the CRT shed as hire boat Piping Plover completes the Atherstone Flight, Coventry Canal. PHOTO: GRAHAM NUTTALL
HOLIDAYS & LEISURE: STAYCATIONS P58
DAYS OUT: LEEDS P84
BOATS FOR SALE Starts on
P23
Volunteers to compile huge canal survey thanks to lottery cash
A VOLUNTEER-LED heritage survey of 2000 miles of canal network in England and Wales has started this year – the first in more than three decades. The work, which will take four years to complete, will create a vast digital database which will
detail the history of the network and its associated structures. This is being made possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Organised by the Canal & River Trust, the work started in the North West with the
127-mile-long Leeds & Liverpool Canal. A team of 25 volunteers has started the survey between Wigan, Leigh and Liverpool. It will then be rolled out across the trust’s network of canals that span England and Wales. Bill Froggatt, heritage
adviser at Canal & River Trust, explained: “Thirty years after the first survey was completed, our charity has secured the funding to be able to go out and update and add to those original records. Using the support of our wonderful
volunteers and embracing modern mobile technology, it will be a project that celebrates this wonderful legacy from our industrial past and helps preserve it for the future.” • Continued on page 2
Guard against fuel theft
New bridge over the Monty
River Canal Rescue is urging boat owners to put a lock on their fuel caps following numerous cases of stolen fuel on the waterways. Managing director Stephanie Horton warned: “Fuel siphoning from tanks is sadly becoming a much more common issue, and it’s nationwide. We can’t tell if the thieves are getting to boats via the towpath or on the water, but to deter them, boaters should put a separate lock on their fuel cap.”
Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is to construct a new road bridge over the Montgomery Canal as part of its restoration. Carreghofa Lane Bridge construction is approved for a four-mile canal section. Replacing the causeway with the new bridge is an important step in returning boats to the centuries-old canal. The work, due to being in April, is expected to take nine months and vegetation has been cleared in advance.
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