Update on 'enormous' Macclesfield Canal breach as repairs expected to take three months
Repairs to the Macclesfield Canal will take around three months.
The Canal and River Trust has provided an update following a breach on the Macclesfield Canal.
It has been confirmed the breach, near Bosley, was caused by a leak in the canal bed.
Work took place over the weekend to rescue fish, move boats and start looking at repairs.
A CRT spokesperson said: "Our charity's emergency team worked late into the night to help move around 15 boats away from the breach and installed stop planks to prevent any further loss of water.
"We're carrying out a fish rescue and are working to restore water levels on either side of the affected area, which we expect to take several days."
They continued: "Our engineers have visited the site, reviewed the damage, and are planning repairs, with initial findings indicating a substantial repair will take up 12 weeks.
"We will provide further updates on our website, with our next update scheduled on or before Friday, April 11.
"We have closed the towpath and navigation and are contacting boaters moored in the affected area. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience.
"We're asking everyone to stay safe and keep away from the breach site until the repairs are complete."
One of the boaters affected by the breach, between bridges 52 and 53, was Emma Culshaw Bell.
She explained that whirlpools started to form at around midday on Friday, March 28.
Emma said the situation 'deteriorated extremely quickly' from there.
By 8am the following morning, the 'enormous breach' had swept away the towpath and almost entirely drained the canal.
However, she praised CRT for their efforts in helping the boaters drop down the locks and working throughout the night to try and resolve the issue.
A CRT spokesperson added: "This unfortunately is another illustration of the challenges facing our nation's 250-year-old canal network.
"We're asking people to support our work, either through a donation, volunteering, or spreading the word about how important it is to keep canals alive.
"Visit canalrivertrust.org.uk to find out more."
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