Joyriding boat yobs drain stretches of Wigan canal

Vandals drained parts of a canal running through Wigan.
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Vandals drained parts of a canal running through Wigan.

Yobs took a boat on a joyride, leaving lock gates and paddles open and emptying several stretches of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal of its water.

Canal and River Trust staff found the boat wedged in a lock at Worsley Mesnes littered with empty liquor bottles following last week’s incident. Workers retrieved the craft, shut the gates and re-filled the waterway.

The drained section of canalThe drained section of canal
The drained section of canal
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A runner, who sent pictures of the drained canal to the Post, said: “Someone has managed to drain part of the canal near Worsley Mesnes. I took the picture on my morning run, although it was getting low the evening before when I went for a walk.

“It most likely was caused by someone not closing a lock gate properly. I contacted the Canal and River Trust who said they were sending people out to it.”

A trust spokesman said: “Vandals on an unlicensed boat broke the padlocks on a lock gate at the top of the Wigan lock flight and took the boat on a ‘joyride’, leaving gates and paddles open, which led to stretches being drained.

“The boat was found by trust staff wedged in Lock 71, full of empty alcohol bottles. Our staff rescued the boat, shut lock gates and paddles, and restored water to the canal.”

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The trust spokesman warned that boats should only be moved for essential trips during the coronavirus lockdown.

He said: “During this time of coronavirus lockdown, boats should only be moved for essential trips – to take on water or fuel or empty waste.

“The top and bottom locks of the 21 Wigan lock flight are locked precisely to prevent people making unnecessary boat movements. Anyone needing to move a boat should contact the trust and we will unlock it for them.

“If the public spot anything that doesn’t look right, we would ask them to contact the Canal and River Trust or the police.”

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