A major breach on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire early Monday caused two narrowboats to fall into a large hole and forced evacuations, after a 200-year-old artificial embankment collapsed. The Canal and River Trust (CRT) said the incident, which left other boats stranded, was not linked to any previously identified concerns.
Julie Sharman, CRT chief operating officer, stated that inspections last month had not flagged the embankment as high-risk. “This isn’t one of the ones that we were concerned about,” she said. Work is now underway to isolate the damaged section and refloat stranded boats using fabric dams and a pipe to bypass the breach.
Scientists suggested the collapse may have been caused by high water levels and water ingress into the earthworks, possibly exacerbated by soluble salt deposits in the local bedrock. Dr Jamie Pringle of Keele University noted the area contains Triassic Wilkesley halite and mudstone, which are soluble.
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) highlighted that the canal was flagged as an amber risk due to funding shortages, not structural issues. IWA director Charlie Norman warned that without decisive action, such breaches will recur, disrupting water supplies and local economies. The last major canal collapse occurred on New Year’s Day on the Bridgewater Canal.
CRT hopes to refloat boats by Christmas Day, but full repairs will take six to nine months and cost around £2 million. Sharman expressed sympathy for boaters left homeless just before Christmas, saying the trust is providing support. The emergency services have declared the major incident phase over.
