Wigan canal lock repairs could be completed within days

It was at the beginning of June that the Canal and River Trust was forced to close a section of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Higher Ince due to a failed lock cill which meant that the lock was unable to hold water and so help to move boats further down the hill towards Wigan.

The cill is a large raised ledge at the top end of the lock which the top gate shuts against.

When work began engineers realised that it was a bigger job than originally thought and that greater access and heavier machinery would be needed and so a re-opening date of June 17 was set.

But, much to the dismay of boat users unable to navigate a famous stretch of water in peak season, a further announcement from the trust revealed that the job just got even bigger with the necessity to create ramps in the canal bed in order to break up safely the damaged concrete arrowhead (part of the cill).

This led to a new re-opening deadline of June 24 being set, but then two wooden planks on the floor of the canal were discovered to be damaged, further prolonging the work.

The latest update said that structural concrete has noiw been poured to create the new arrowhead. This concrete would take four to five days to set, after which the timber cill would be fitted.

A trust spokesperson added: “Our teams will then remove the access ramp and conduct testing of the lock gates.

"We anticipate that all works will be completed on Friday July 5, and navigation will resume according to the former lock opening times.

"We apologise for any inconvenience these delays have caused to your journey and assure you that we have been working to complete this repair as quickly as possible.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their continued patience and understanding during these works.”

Boat users with any questions about the works or in need of information on alternative routes are asked to ring the trust on 03030 404040 and select the North West region to speak with one of its regional team members.