Xmas Day might be a day where most are usually at home celebrating the festivities. For the boaters its a time of getting reorganised, moving back onto their boats, moving away from the site and nearer to Grindley Brook locks where possible and the rest of it. Moving out of the area completely is dependent on the canal conditions below the locks, and so far it seems the locks have not been reopened. One problem is the pound in which the boats have been refloated likely cannot afford more than perhaps a couple of boat movements a day (this because of the water that’s necessary to supply the locks).
Previously the draw on the canal extended as far back as New Marton locks, some twenty miles distant hence the locks could be used regularly without any immaterial difference to the level of the canal. Since the amount of canal watered is now a mere 1.5km or so (pumping conveys sufficient for water supply to Hurleston but not for lockage) and since there isn’t a plentiful flow of water coming down any movements would no doubt have to be under the supervision of both CRT staff and its lock keepers. Thus any boat movements out of the area towards the Shropshire Union canal are going to have to take place over a period of days and possibly a week or more.
Today, Xmas Day, is another day of live blogging. Just a sheer dedication to keep events up to date! That’s me! A disabled blogger who shouldn’t be, well blogging because of various things I’ve discussed over and over again. But I may possibly be able to write in a main publication soon on why it is that we, our unfortunate lot, get such short shrift…
This video released this afternoon by Narrowboat Life Unlocked shows something that’s been little discussed in this whole time since the breach occurred. CRT’s Julie Sharman mentioned it in passing yesterday. Its the case of the culvert that has appears to have caused the breach.
This culvert is a minor one and apart from aerial pictures it could not be discerned very well. Some had thought it was possibly the Staggs Brook culvert (this is the main one) that was responsible but it isn’t.
The minor culvert is a little to the north of the main one and Narrowboat Life Unlocked showed pictures of it, perhaps quite inadvertently since they didn’t even mention it at any point.
The main (Staggs Brook) culvert is at a slightly higher level as shown in the above image. Lower down and more true to the site’s THALWEG (thalweg is the term for the lowest part of a valley where water can run) can be seen the adit that forms the minor culvert.
As Narrowboat Life Unlocked talks into his blogging camera and walks around this fenced area carrying shopping, one can very briefly see the culvert in question that appears to have caused the breach. Evidently its not flowing at the moment – no water can get through it because the adit has been completely destroyed. Images from Youtube.
This map was shown two days back. The culvert shown in the images above is the smaller one (thinner line) shown in this map above the Staggs Brook. Pic from Canalworld.
Update 18.45pm 25th December 2025.
Leave a Reply