WORKS to repair lock gates along the famous Hatton flight on the Grand Union Canal have been completed.
Engineers from the Canal and River Trust have been busy carrying out essential works to lock 46 to ensure the lock gates are water tight.
Each of the 21 locks holds around 240,000 litres of water – the equivalent of around 3,000 bath tubs – and helps carry over 6,000 boats up the hill at Hatton. Brickwork was also repaired and new longer ladders have been installed.
The trust is spending £43million across the country carrying out much needed repairs to the 200-year-old canal network.
John Johnson, construction supervisor from the Canal & River Trust, said: “I’ve been working along the canals for 13 years and I never get bored of seeing a lock completely empty of water.
“Standing in the bottom, it’s amazing to think these locks were all built by hand using little more than pick axes and shovels.
“The army of workers who toiled day and night to build this vast network of canals really did create something special – and it’s still working in the same way today as when it was first built.”
Visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk for more information.
