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The charity making life better by water

Worcester & Birmingham Canal reopens

We've reopened the Worcester & Birmingham Canal between Gas Street Basin and the Mailbox in central Birmingham after closing it for for emergency repairs three weeks ago.

Our engineers have spent the last three weeks repairing a leak as water was escaping into a disused railway tunnel underneath the canal.

To plug the leak and make the canal watertight the bottom of the canal was relined with a new layer of clay and cement to stop up any small holes in the aqueduct, which carries the canal over the railway tunnel.

Lawrence Tall from the Canal & River Trust, said: “There was more work required than we first anticipated but, despite this, I'm delighted we've managed to reopen the canal ahead of schedule to allow boaters to cruise along the canals in Birmingham this Easter.”

Last Edited: 12 March 2015

photo of a location on the canals
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