Lock 1 - Graving Lock - Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal

We are pleased to advise repairs at Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal are now complete.

Whilst the towpath is now open, navigation will resume at 10am tomorrow, Saturday 20 June.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

Our contractors are still waiting on a delivery which will finalise works at Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.

We anticipate delivery to be this week. In the meantime, our contractors onsite will operate the lock for any customers wishing to pass through Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

An update will be provided by Friday, 19 June.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

We are pleased to confirm the collapsed culvert between the dry-dock and Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch, has now been repaired and the column supporting the listed dry-dock has been stabilised.

Further works are needed to make the area safe and operable, therefore the security fencing will remain in place and navigation and the towpath will remain closed.

We anticipate these works will be completed early next week and an update will be provided Tuesday 16 June.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

We are pleased to advise the repairs to the towpath and culvert at Lock 1, Graving Lock on the Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal re-started onsite Monday 18 May, following the announcement of the revised government guidelines.

An update will be provided by Friday, 12 June 2020.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

Please be advised due to the ongoing Government restrictions and guidelines for construction sites regarding coronavirus, the works to repair Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal are still suspended.

An update will be provided by Monday, 25 May 2020.

Please remember our advice - only move your boat if it’s essential (not for leisure purposes) and minimise your use of the towpath.

If you are not currently occupying your boat the government guidance is that you must not visit it (this means no short trips or breaks on your boat at this time).

Please follow the government advice – stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

To read more on our response to the Coronavirus crisis, please see our Coronavirus & Boating FAQs.

Temporary propping has been installed to support the dry dock roof, however due to Government restrictions and guidelines for construction sites regarding Coronavirus, the works to repair Lock 1, Graving Lock, Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal have been suspended until further notice.

Remember, as part of efforts to tackle the Coronavirus crisis, we are asking all boaters to stop non-essential travel, so please limit movements to access vital facilities – you can see more at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-boating-faqs  

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. An update will be provided Monday 27 April 2020.

Installation of the temporary supports for the roof structure has taken longer than anticipated, with the final materials arriving by boat tomorrow morning. These works are expected to be complete by Thursday morning and Trust engineers are scheduled to attend site on Friday to inspect the damaged culvert.

We apologise for the length of time taken to complete the works to date.

An update will be provided on Monday 30 March.

The gas company have approved the method of entry and access has been installed to the affected area. Temporary supports to the roof structure will be installed early next week and the area will be cleared in readiness for an engineer inspection of the damaged culvert which is currently planned for the end of next week.

An update will be provided on Monday 23rd March once our engineers have inspected the area and we will be able to provide the time frames for the repair.

Due to unforeseen delays with our contractors, we are behind schedule with the repairs to the towpath and culvert at Lock 1, Graving Lock on the Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.

Our contractors are mobilised and are awaiting access approval from the gas company before works to repair the culvert can commence. We will be in a position to confirm timescales to complete all works once access is in place. At this moment, we envisage the permanent works to take up to 4 weeks to complete.

An update will be provided by Thursday, 12 March 2020.

The report from the Ground Penetration Radar Survey company has now been received and the findings are currently being reviewed.

We are currently working with our contractor and supply chain in the hope we can start onsite the week commencing 27 January 2020, with a planned completion by end of February 2020.

Updates will be provided as works progress.  

Further to receiving budget estimates for the repair works, the necessary Contract Documents are now being prepared.

We hope to have all the investigation surveys complete and results returned early in the new year with the full repair works commencing soon after.

An update will be provided week commencing Monday 6 January 2020.

The Ground Penetration Radar Survey company is finalising the processing of the data and have indicated that draft data will be issued later today. Our Framework Contractor has now provided a budget estimate for the repair works which is currently being reviewed and quotes have been requested for other elements of works required.

A further update will be provided by Wednesday 18 December.

A meeting took place between our Engineers and Project Management team yesterday to discuss possible methods of repair. To determine the actual method of repair, we are awaiting the results from the Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) Survey, which are still being processed by the survey company. We hope to receive an initial draft of the results this week.

A further update will be provided by Friday, 13 December, following the GPR Survey results.

The Project Delivery team will be holding a meeting Monday 9 December to discuss project progress, including the recent ground investigation works and timescales for the repair works. Following this meeting, an update will be provided Tuesday 10 December.

Your nearest Trust owned Pump Out Facility is located at Calveley Services, by Bridge 104, Calveley Turnover Bridge. This is an amendment to the information provided below and we apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Our engineers have been to site and assessed the full extent of the damage caused by the collapsed towpath.

To plan a sufficient repair, we are seeking advice from our heritage team and design team. Whilst this is ongoing, the dry dock, canal and towpath will remain closed.

Due to the location of the sink hole, the pump out will also be closed whilst the repair is carried out. The nearest pump out station is a self-operated pump out located at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port.

All other customer service facilities are still in use.

Updates will be provided whilst the works are ongoing.

Please be advised that the towpath and lock are closed at Lock 1 on the Dee Branch of the Shropshire Union canal due to a large hole appearing overnight in the towpath adjacent to the lock.

Our teams and engineers will be onsite today to investigate large hole which has resulted in the damage to the towpath.

Navigation will not be possible at this moment. We politely request customers to approach the area with caution and to listen to any advice that may be given onsite.   

An update will be provided tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon following an inspection from our engineers