AROUND £50m is spent every winter on repairs and maintenance to safeguard our locks and canals.
The money is spent nationally on keeping 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales in tip-top condition.
But now a joint project between the Canal and River Trust and Arts Council England has added a little something extra to that work.
Together these two organisations have come up with a way of not only maintaining the essential parts of the waterways, but in enhancing them.
A new gate being installed at a lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Milnsbridge has had poetry by Jo Bell carved into by sculptor Peter Coates.
They hope it will inspire people to look more closely as they go through the lock or walk on the canalside and take a moment to consider just what an asset our canals are.
Once a great route for carrying loads for commerce and industry, they have in more recent years become a vital part of our enjoyment of the environment. A little poetry will only add to that pleasure.
