A canal hit by vandals in Huddersfield was repaired within hours.
Engineers were called in after vandals opened lock paddle gates, draining a stretch of the Huddersfield Broad Canal near Deighton.
The incident near the Leeds Road playing fields complex hit the waterway on Wednesday evening but was quickly righted by workmen from the Canals and Rivers Trust, who manage the canals network.
One narrowboat moored on the canal bank was left high and dry by the incident but was not damaged.
Dog-walker Garry Sutton, who saw the incident, said: “I had gone for an evening walk with my dog on the towpath and couldn’t believe the mess.
“The stretch of the canal running alongside the football fields was drained to almost a puddle.
“I have seen anglers fishing on that stretch many times but I don’t know if any fish were harmed.”
A spokesman for Aspley Wharf Marina, which is at the head of the Huddersfield Broad Canal where it meets the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, said: “It happens from time to time.
“Youngsters mess about with the locks and leave a paddle open, and it doesn’t take long for a stretch to drain.
“It does mean it is blocked sometimes”.
The waterway was back to normal by Thursday morning after an investigation by Trust officials.
