Lock 2, Stourbridge Flight, Stourbridge Canal

Navigation is now open.

The lock has been fixed.

On Tuesday 2nd August our operations team discovered that the top lock gate heel post at Lock 2, Stourbridge flight had failed (snapped) unexpectedly. There is no evidence of external or internal deterioration of the timber.  As an interim measure to keep the gate usable, our reactive response team have rachet-strapped the gate together, but this is likely to only work for the short term. We want to make sure we can secure longer term service as soon as possible.

 As a result, we've taken the decision to close the canal briefly to make the repair for the long-term.  To give our customers a reasonable period of notice - We'll be doing this between Monday the 22nd and Wednesday the 24th of August.

 We are taking the lock gate out with a small crane, then we'll change the heel post and felt and board the back of the gate to get a better seal on the planking, before replacing the gate and reopening navigation. You should be able to get through from 4pm on Wednesday 24th of August.

 We'll review the work as it progresses, sharing any updates with you, and if it's possible to open navigation any earlier we'll let you know as soon as we do.

 We apologise for the short term inconvenience but need to undertake the more substantial repair on a planned basis to prevent further unplanned restrictions or incidents. Thank you for your patience while we get this fixed.

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