Recovering from Storm Darragh

As with Storm Bert, the effects were wide and far-reaching. Overall, at least 29 waterways were directly affected by Storm Darragh. The most noticeable impact was from fallen trees – over 440 of them.

Our teams are continuing to lead on the clean-up efforts after the storm and we need your help.

The impact of Storm Darragh

The Leicester Line and the Northampton, Welford and Market Harborough arms of the Grand Union Canal were all blocked by fallen trees, as was the main line near Blisworth. The same was true on the Trent & Mersey Canal, where we also had to recover a boat that had been blown adrift from its moorings.

On the South Oxford Canal, another couple of trees had fallen and blocked the navigation, as well as two large holes appearing on either side of Lift Bridge 183. While destructive wind was ravaging the region, flooding was also widespread at Thrupp.

In the North West, where winds were even stronger, traffic barriers at a couple of swing bridges were ripped from their mounts, and a boat had to be retrieved from Hunts Sluice on the River Weaver. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only one. In Liverpool South Docks, an unoccupied boat was pulled from its mooring, collided with another boat and sank.

Further south, including waterways inside the Met Office’s Red Warning area, the number of trees down runs into double digits. The Kennet & Avon, Bridgwater & Taunton and Swansea canals all had multiple trees blocking navigation as well as numerous issues caused by high water levels.

The West Midlands saw around 400 felled trees blocking navigation. The Staffordshire & Worcestershire, Stratford, Coventry, Tame Valley, Old Main Line, Llangollen, Birmingham & Fazeley, Dudley No.1, Daw End, Shropshire Union, Birmingham & Warwick Junction, Montgomery and Worcester & Birmingham canals were all affected.

Other damage in the West Midlands included overtopped canals, electricity cables brought down and weirs blocked by debris.

The Yorkshire & North East had trees blow over, causing issues on the Chesterfield and Huddersfield Narrow canals and a sunken boat on the Calder & Hebble.

Responding to emergencies

Our teams have been responding to the damage caused by Storm Darragh. We’re clearing over 400 trees, some of which are in hard-to-reach locations, like steep cuttings or with root balls still attached. We’re also responding to minor landslips on the Grand Union and Shropshire Union canals.

How you can help

Unfortunately, storms like these aren’t uncommon. Our teams work tirelessly to keep everybody safe. Mitigating damage and keeping our towpaths and network safe and accessible is a costly job. As a charity, we urgently need your donations to ensure the nation’s canals survive and prosper.