Engineers to close canal towpath in Nantwich amid structure concerns

A section of Shropshire Union Canal in Nantwich is to be temporarily closed to walkers to allow for structural investigations, writes Jonathan White.

The towpath will be closed and moorings suspended along the affected section for up to six weeks, the Canal & River Trust notice says.

The affected stretch runs from the historic Thomas Telford-designed aqueduct on Chester Road to Bridge 92, beside Nantwich Marina at Basin End.

The towpath closure is scheduled to be in place from Monday April 28 to Friday May 16, with moorings suspended for up to six weeks.

As part of the works, Public Footpath No. 5 in the Parish of Henhull (Henhull FP5) will also be closed to pedestrians.

Cheshire East Council has issued the footpath order for public safety while engineers carry out structural investigations on the canal embankment.

The Canal & River Trust has previously monitored this section of the embankment after cracks were observed along the towpath.

Monitoring pins were installed, but early assessments revealed “nothing at this stage to be concerned about”.

We have approached the Canal & River Trust for an updated statement on the works.

In the event of a breach, safety gates are in place on either side of the embankment at Bridge 91, next to Malbank Waters estate, and Bridge 92 next to Nantwich Marina.

These gates are designed to close using the suction of water to minimise the risk of flooding.

A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment carried out by Cheshire East Council in 2013 identified a “Canal Hazard Zone” that would be affected in the event of a significant embankment failure.

The area potentially at risk stretches from Edmund Wright Way and Waterlode, down Welsh Row to the River Weaver.

The report also cautioned developers that any land at or below the level of the canal bank may be vulnerable to flooding and advised incorporating flood resilience into new low-lying properties.

Cheshire has suffered major canal breaches in recent years, including on New Year’s Day this year when significant rainfall resulted in flooding and the collapse of the Bridgewater Canal in Little Bollington.

And in 2018, a section of the Shropshire Union Canal collapsed at Middlewich, causing water to drain into the River Wheelock and leaving up to 20 boats stranded.

The collapse hit the canal which leads to an aqueduct over the river near Nantwich Road.

(Images courtesy of Jonathan White)