LOCKS along Huddersfield Narrow Canal will be replaced as part of a £50 million project.
This winter British Waterways is undertaking a programme of works which includes £500,000 investment along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.
Ten lock gates will be replaced and another two repaired during the winter.
The works along the canal from locks 1E behind Huddersfield University, to 7E, 8E, 12E, 28E, 32E, 34E, 39E, 40E and 31W are being replaced whilst 37E and 38E at Marsden are having repairs carried out.
It’s part of a scheme to help maintain the nation’s 2,000 mile, 200-year-old canal and river network and ensure they are preserved and cared for future generations to enjoy.
Kirklees Top Lock on the Calder and Hebble navigation will also undergo maintenance.
Vince Moran, British Waterways’ operations director, said: “Britain’s canals and rivers are set to be managed by a new waterways charity next year so this year’s maintenance programme marks the end of an era for the nation’s historic waterway network.”
The national maintenance programme, taking place until March 2012, will include the replacement of more than 100 hand-crafted British oak lock gates.
A single lock gate weighs on average 3.6 tonnes and can take up to 20 days to make. They’re made in Wakefield, one of only two workshops in the UK.
