Work on Yorkshire’s canals and rivers network has been completed - despite the wettest winter for 250 years.

Over £1m of work has been completed across the waterways, including long stretches of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, despite the challenging stormy weather this winter as part of the Canal & River Trust’s £45 million programme of repair and restoration to historic waterway structures.

Five locks along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal have been renovated along with three on the Calder & Hebble Navigation which runs through Elland and Mirfield.

Two more locks on the Calder & Hebble are due for repairs.

With the weather finally beginning to warm up, the finished works means the canal across Yorkshire are safe and operational in time for spring and the start of the boating season.

An open day was also held at Sprotbrough Lock in Doncaster. The wet and windy winter weather did not deter nearly 2,000 visitors coming along to walk along the drained lock and get a behind-the-scenes view of some of Yorkshire’s finest working industrial heritage.

Engineers carry out major repair work on a lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Engineers carry out major repair work on a lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal

Jon Horsfall, North East waterway manager, says: “We faced some challenging weather conditions this winter. All of the teams involved have gone over and above to make sure the works, including lock gate replacements, brickwork and timberwork repairs and repointing were finished in time for the start of spring to cause minimal disruption to boaters, cyclists, anglers and walkers.

“It was so encouraging to see so many people come along to our open day. Showcasing our work enabled us to give visitors a glimpse of the craftsmanship we carry out and understand the scale of the work it takes to care for it. I hope we’ve inspired more people across Yorkshire to get involved in helping us care for their local waterway.”

Repair work on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Repair work on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal

The Canal & River Trust held 14 public open days and weekends across England and Wales this winter with support from maintenance company, Kier. Thanks to the help and support of nearly 100 Canal & River Trust volunteers, the events were enjoyed by over 10,000 people.

There will be summer open days taking place between June and August. To find out where and when they are, click here

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