The dredging, which is due to continue until 20 May, will see the charity remove around 7,000 tons of sediment at various locations on the canal between Sutton Cheney and Market Bosworth, a distance of almost 4 miles.
The work
The work is carried out using a special floating digger which will haul out silt which has accumulated on the bottom of the canal and load it into a hopper barge to be taken away.
We're also shoring-up a 150-metre section of the canal’s bank near Shenton. As part of the work, silt dredged from the canal will be used as ‘backfill’. The remainder of the nutrient-rich dredged material will be unloaded and spread on to a canal-side farmer’s field near Far Coton.
Completed in 1804, the Ashby Canal is lock-free which makes it popular with novice boaters and people hiring holiday boats. Dredging is an important part of the Canal & River Trust’s ongoing work to keep the canal open and boats moving. Nationwide the charity spends around £7million per year removing tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment from the bottom of its canals.
Keeping canals alive
Paul Fox, our senior project manager, said: “Dredging is just one part of the vital ongoing programme of maintenance we carry out to make sure that our historic canals are navigable for boaters and so that they are available to benefit wildlife and for local people to use and enjoy.
“Originally built over 200 years ago to transport coal to the Midlands and South, the Ashby Canal remains really important to the local economy by attracting boaters and those enjoying boating holidays. These works will address some of the known problem areas for boaters on the canal and help to ensure that it’s ready for the summer period when it will be busy with people getting out on the water.
“With time and climate change taking their toll on the nation’s ageing waterways, our charity is grateful for the public support we receive to help us carry out projects like this and ensure we keep our canals alive for future generations.”
