One thing that is currently being done is the installation of a additional cofferdam on the canal. I suggested this several days ago as the current one is too near the site of the breach for anyone’s liking. The reason that was positioned where it was is because there was one narrowboat that needed re-floating. As I pointed out earlier no-one wants the embankment (not any part of it) in water while it poses any risk of failure. No doubt this initial cofferdam will be removed and the entire embankment left dry for the next few months until investigations have concluded (and the stricken boast perhaps rescued) and work finally commences to rebuild it.
Penkridge lock (view looking downstream – or north – towards Great Haywood) showing the collapsed structure that forms the by wash under the house and road bridge. The bridge was closed as a precaution however inspection currently reveals no damage to it. Pic from Canalworld.
Update: 21.00 on 1st January 2026.
Crouch and CRT meeting in the ‘sinkhole’ – Crouch are the ones who winched N/B Pacemaker to safety before Xmas. Its quite evident they also plan to winch the two stricken narrowboats to safety too. Clip from video @ RileyRobey Youtube published about 10.10am.
There’s been various discussions on forums and Youtube how the boats could be winched out. Some think a ramp will be built down from New Mills lift bridge. It seems that might be the method employed. However there’s the question of lifting the boats out and then transporting them away from the site. Its clear numerous obstacles remain once the boats have been winched.
Update: 11.00am on 1st January 2026.
News circulates this past hour or so a canal bridge has collapsed at Penkridge. There’s uncertainty about what it is, but it seems its a bridge that crosses the adjacent lock by-wash. Its said the ‘collapse’ threatens both the lock house and the adjacent main road bridge. Curiously Penkridge lock is the location for stoppage work due to start 5th of January 2026!
Facebook film shows CRT and emergency services in attendance but its not clear what structure happens to be the problem.
Update: 21.10pm on 31st December 2025.
Narrowboat Life Unlocked describes the move away from Grindley Brook. The main guy (Paul) was on his own but it did not matter for CRT volunteers were assisting at every lock down the canal except possibly Marbury. Its said they hope to be off the Llangollen canal by the 2nd January.
Breaches and stoppages are a pain in the arse as I know only too well. I encountered one of the Llangollen’s breaches many years ago and know how that screws up the boating industry which is essential along this canal. In fact the trip boats we worked on had less choice of route and that ensured a considerable drop in patronage. I’ve encountered other canal breaches too, the Southern Stratford, the Coventry (which I have briefly described on this blog) and the Oxford canals. And quite a few of those we had (not forgetting a number of tunnels that failed too) and this screwed up the patronage for the boating company I worked at. In terms of breaches and stoppages, well when there’s a breach and an important stoppage the two usually happen to be that once one is finished its a struggle to clear the stoppage area (usually involving an entire days non stop boating marathon) for fear of not wishing to be stuck.
CP Overview have done an ‘update’ on the Bridgewater canal breach. Its a year ago tomorrow the Bolin embankment gave way. Still nothing happening (apart from a little bit of earth moving and clay puddling to build a new dam – which was meant to be finished before Xmas but now wont be finished until the new year.
As I have said, the Llangollen breach at Whitchurch will in all possibility be finished and the canal reopened BEFORE the Bridgewater one even gets rebuilt and reopened!
I haven’t bothered with the Bridgewater recently though I’ve kept up with the progress there. Until something substantial does happen it seems pointless writing anything. Yes there have been plans that have been published to show the new embankment but little detail otherwise.
Bridgewater/Peel Holdings drawing of the new Bolin embankment. This is a crop of their larger image published 5th December 2025. Bridgewater Canal.
Updated: 19.20 on 31st December 2025.
According to Taylors (video released about half an hour ago) seven boats passed Grindley Brook yesterday and another six or so are passing the locks today. After that’s the locks are probably shut until the breach gets repaired!
Quoisley lock is the main issue for it will be closed 5th January to 13th March 2026. Its probably lock gate replacement, repointing the lock walls and by-pass wash upgrade – the usual sort of work. After that boats intending to venture further than Wrenbury will probably be able to attain Grindley Brook to turn around – depending on length under 45 ft within the pound below the staircase and those longer up to 70 ft at the top of the locks.
It all depends on CRT. They may possibly keep the canal closed Wrenbury to Grindley Brook closed until the breach is repaired, or alternatively permit a handful of boat movements through this section each day. Bear in mind its not really worth venturing any further than Grindley Brook because of the breach. But allowing some boats through this section will probably help the businesses that depend on the canal – such as the cafe at Grindley Brook and the pub at Willeymoor lock – because a static canal is less of an attractor than one that has boats on it!
Crouch (the company that winched Pacemaker up to the liftbridge) have been seen around the site today thus it looks like they’re consulting/planning on how to winch Pacemaker through the liftbridge narrows into this new cordoned off section of canal and then refloat it. Quite possibly they are also discussing the ways and means the two other boats stuck in the ‘sinkhole’ can be retrieved – and that possibly the same route as Pacemaker.
Love how CRT have spelt the bottom of the canal as Hursleston!! Another issue with this too is Poveys locks. It denotes more than one lock. It should of course be Povey’s lock. Evidently the Llangollen canal is on restrictions UFN (given there are also works that restrict navigation) near Baddiley locks.
Update: 14.00 on 31st December 2025.
Two shots shown below from yesterday’s SS Skies Youtube video. The first shows the new cofferdam at the entrance to the short Whitchurch arm. The second the measures they’ve taken to reduce erosion behind N/B Pacemaker.
The outflow from the new pumps has been working since yesterday. No news yet re boat movement down Grindley Brook locks.
It was said that experts from HS2 were offering advice (and plans) on repairing the breach/getting the canal back into use quickly. Quite sketchy in terms of detail but was mentioned on Narrowboat Life Unlocked.
The new cofferdam placed at the junction of the main canal and Whitchurch arm. It doesn’t seem that this new dam will permit boat movement to/from the arm except perhaps under supervision, nor will it permit the winding of boats either. It could be a temporary measure for all one knows. As some observers think, its a means of further dragging Pacemaker away from the breach site. How they will be able to remove the narrowboat completely is another matter.
There is a larger winding hole nearer the Whitchurch by-pass plus one other on the arm itself so there are alternative locations for boats to wind.
The Whitchurch arm once led to the town centre and it ended here where this large car park is – as shown on Google Streets. It was just under a mile in length. Nowadays its about an eighth of a mile in length.
Piling placed to the rear of N/B Pacemaker’s stern in order to reduce erosion from the flow of water. This flow will no doubt change now the new cofferdam has been installed. Its an example of the ever changing scene down in the ‘sinkhole.’
Some Youtubers were commenting that people have been down to the narrowboats. CP Overview for example among others. Yes they have there’s no doubt about that and various drone footage shows this has been done. The muddy terrain is by now sufficiently dry enough to walk on and over the Xmas period there was an attempt to secure the two boats as the hatches had been left wide open – that was no doubt needed in order to stop potential thieves as valuables were still on board. The other well it seems perhaps the bags of coal shoved into the front of Sefton were either an additional security measure or an attempt to stop water from flowing inside the boat itself.
Update: 11.41 am on 31st December 2025.
Two new cofferdams are being installed. One as I mentioned before Xmas, is on the north side of the breach by the emergency pipe outflow. Currently unfinished. Maybe some pics another day when that (and the other mentioned one below) are completed.
The other is being placed at the entrance to the short Whitchurch arm. Its not intended to block the arm (access will be allowed to a limited extent) but rather more likely to give more workspace upon which contractors or CRT can undertake certain tasks.
The main emergency pumping scheme sited alongside the Whitchurch by pass road has begun. Its said ALL the boats at Grindley Brook will be allowed down the flight in one day. No doubt that is possible by having two sets of emergency pumping in operation. It will allow the boats to navigate to Wrenbury, thus avoiding a stoppage that begins at Quoisley lock (its eight locks down from the top of Grindley Brook or the second lock above Wrenbury) from the 5th January 2026.
Presumably after that the original emergency pumping system will be removed and just that, the newer one, installed at Whitchurch Marina, will be the sole system operating. It will no doubt mean boat movements through Grindley Brook from this point on will be considerably limited.
Update: 19.45pm on 30th December 2025.
There has been a number of videos that have explored the issue of why the embankment collapsed and also the means of rescuing the stricken boats. Interesting stuff of course except that some of it happens to be somewhat questionable.
The Taylors Aboard… suggested it wasn’t a culvert failure and they had heard it might have been tree removal work during the summer that somehow had ultimately laid the way for embankment collapse (due to dry weather etc). I have included the transcript from the video below.
So as for theories what actually caused the breach again? Well, I don’t think it was the culvert after all and because it doesn’t really look like the culvert’s collapsed and also the CRT aren’t saying that. They’re calling it an embankment failure. So what caused the embankment to fail? Well, a local actually told me they were doing tree works here in the summer. Got rid of a bunch of trees. And these trees are quite mature and they’ve been in the embankment probably since it was put up. And they’ve established massive root networks. These roots when it dries out, especially this summer because it got so dry can leave holes in the soil when removed because obviously the dirt in the summer is not going to reform itself because it’s not wet. And uh this could have left a load of holes in the embankment where water could have run down into and eroded it away. (Taylors Aboard a Narrowboat).
It might possibly be the trees for all one knows. Also its implied CRT inspected the embankment two weeks prior to the breach (Taylors aboard a Narrowboat). The usual thing that happens is some organisation or contractor ‘inspects’ something and then a few days or few weeks later something big has happened. That’s usually the case. Here one day – gone the next. Just so totally unexpected. Obviously it’ll be much more than just tree removal that’s involved. I mentioned something about this breach the first day it happened – something which no one has mentioned. Its an uphill breach not a downhill breach. In other words it occurred on the uphill side, which is exceedingly rare. This leads me to think it was culverted related, and it might have been the trees removal that caused the upper half of the culvert to collapse – but hey, I’m disabled and never right in a million years on anything!
At the time the breach ensued there hadn’t been any unusual amount of rain (although there had been lots in the preceding weeks). Thus it could be anything really. But again no-one has mentioned the unique type of breach it had been which might have set minds a bit more focussed on the matter.
RileyRobey implied on one of his latest videos there were no other culverts to be seen other than the Staggs Brook one. I corrected that.
My correction to RileyRobey’s claim there were no other culverts present at the breach site.
Update 14.45pm 29th December 2025.
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