A 75-year-old man has described his narrow escape after waking up just in time to raise the alarm as his canal boat and others were swallowed by a fast-appearing giant hole on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire. Emergency services declared a major incident after the 50-metre-long breach opened up, leaving boats teetering on the edge of a steep drop or stuck at the bottom of the cavity.
Bob Wood, who has lived on his boat for eight years, said he was asleep when the hole appeared but woke up to find his boat tilting. He opened the back door to see water running away under the boat and jumped off just as the back went eight feet in the air. He then alerted a neighbour by hammering on the side of his vessel.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service received reports of the canal bank collapse at about 4.22am and said three boats were caught in a developing sinkhole approximately 50 metres by 50 metres in size. Crews helped more than 10 members of the public to safety, working in challenging conditions with unstable ground and rapidly moving water.
There are no reported casualties, and about 12 residents from boats moored nearby were being supported and relocated to a welfare centre. The Canal and River Trust said it was investigating the cause of the incident and working with agencies to restore water levels.
The breach took place on the Llangollen Canal near New Mills Lift Bridge in Whitchurch. The canal was among those flagged this year by the Inland Waterways Association as being an 'amber risk', with concerns over funding shortfalls and growing climate pressures.
