Llangollen Canal breach

Moving the boats

The incident has been deeply distressing for the boat owners affected, with footage circulating online showing events as they unfolded. Since the initial incident, we have been working to move the affected boats away from the breach and out of the hole that was created.

Narrowboat Pacemaker has now been moved further along the canal and successfully refloated after it was left precariously suspended over the breach.

The two boats, Sefton and Ganymede, which were washed into the breach, will soon be removed. An excavator is being used to reprofile the edge of the breach hole into a gentler slope, allowing the boats to be winched from the bottom of the hole back into a section of drained canal channel.

Our teams are ensuring that pipes and pumps are in place to safeguard a continued flow of water around the breach site, so boats downstream are kept afloat. This is also important because of the role the Llangollen Canal (along with others across the UK) plays today in moving fresh water for public water supply.

Investigating the breach

Julie Sharman, our chief operating officer, said: “We know how deeply distressing this breach has been for the boaters and local community.  After initially making sure everyone was safe, a key area of focus has been recovering the last boats impacted ahead of the long and expensive job of getting the canal rebuilt and back open. I’d like to thank all those who have supported, including all who donated to assist the boaters affected, as well as those donating to our longer-term task of getting this historic canal back open in the weeks and months ahead.

“We’re still investigating the likely cause of the breach. The reasons behind earth embankment failures are not always clear, and multiple factors may be involved. We are undertaking a full and robust investigation and will make a summary of the findings publicly available in the coming weeks.”