Skip to main content

The charity making life better by water

£15,000 of TLC for Caen Hill lock flight

Lock gates on the Caen Hill lock flight in Devizes are getting a make-over this week as we carry out a £15,000 restoration project.

Two gates at Manifold lock, which sits at the top of the flight on the Kennet & Avon Canal, will be repaired to ensure they continue to remain watertight when the lock is in use. It will take five days to complete the work, during which time the canal will be drained and closed to boats.

Over £300,000 is being spent along the length of the canal this winter as we complete repairs to historic canal walls, locks and lock gates. Over £45million is being spent nationwide.

New lease of life

Robert Eaton, Canal & River Trust construction supervisor, said: “Over time, with boats going through them and being regularly opened and closed, lock gates do suffer a bit of wear and tear. We anticipate these to be quite straightforward repairs. They'll give the gates a new lease of life, on what it one of the most popular sections of canal we have.”

Every year we carry out a programme of works to conserve and repair the fragile infrastructure of our canals and rivers. Teams of experts replace lock gates and complete essential maintenance across 2,000 miles of canals and rivers so they can be enjoyed by over 33,000 boats and 10 million towpath visitors each year. This winter we're working on around 100 locks across the country and replacing 141 lock gates.

Last Edited: 07 February 2014

photo of a location on the canals
newsletter logo

Stay connected

Sign up to our monthly newsletter and be the first to hear about campaigns, upcoming events and fundraising inspiration