Maintenance teams working for the Trust spent the weekend speaking with a huge number of customers concerned with the flooding, offering help when and where they could, whilst also trying to move water further along the canal to areas less affected. A number of culverts and weirs were unblocked after rubbish and debris, carried in the excess water, built up preventing the water from flowing away from the flood hit areas.
Working around the clock
Jeff Whyatt, waterway manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: “My team has been working around the clock this weekend trying to prevent any further flooding along the Grand Union and Oxford Canal. They dealt with a huge amount of calls from concerned local residents and its thanks to their efforts that we are now starting to see the flooding situation start to improve and have now reopened the Grand Union Canal.
“Although the situation is getting better, we aren't out of the woods yet as the water levels are still high, the towpaths are still very wet and parts of the southern section of the Oxford Canal are still impassable. In the next few days, providing we don't get more rain, we are hoping that the canals should be back to normal.”