Canals could 'disappear' without more investment

The Canal and River Trust has warned of a decline in the condition of canals

The charity which maintains Yorkshire's canal network has said that the historic waterways could "disappear" if more funding was not made available to repair them.

Sean McGinley, the regional director of the Canal and River Trust (CRT), said the 250-year-old infrastructure was "creaking at the seams".

The organisation has called on the new Labour government to increase investment in the transport routes that once powered the Industrial Revolution.

A spokesperson from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said the CRT "receives an annual grant of £52.6m to support their maintenance and development."

The canals were mostly built in the 19th Century to transport goods by barge, but after their function was superseded by the railways, were predominantly used for leisure boating.

Mr McGinley said Yorkshire's waterways faced challenges such as broken locks and bridges.

"They need a lot of looking after" he said.

"Moving parts need maintaining, swing bridges need to swing. We need funding to pay for materials to help maintain the structures."

Under the previous Conservative government, it was agreed that CRT would be given £400m from 2027 for maintenance over the next decade.

This grant was reduced from the £740m that was handed to the charity 15 years ago.

"We need to fill that gap," continued Mr McGinley.

"We need to speak to government and get that funding back again.

"The risk is that the canal system steadily declines and we struggle even more to keep the canals open.

"The last thing we want to see is closures. It would be a tragic loss."

Sean McGinley called the decline in canal conditions "a crying shame"

In Yorkshire there are canals passing through popular visitor destinations such as Hebden Bridge, Skipton and Saltaire.

Ian Clarke, director of boat hire business Pennine Cruisers, has worked on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for 49 years.

He described the decline of conditions in that time as "soul destroying".

"It is literally a daily conversation of how to plan, because we don't know if there are going to be bridge repairs or swing repairs," he said.

"There are leaks, you don't know whether you're going to get your boats back.

"It's just hard work, and it shouldn't be. I'm gutted."

'Rock bottom'

Rachel Ballett, 58, has been boating on the canal network across the UK since the 1970s.

She has lived on her current boat for just over two years and is now moored on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

"I'm definitely noticing a north-south divide," she said.

"Low water levels are a struggle. Lock gates aren't looked after then water leaks through.

"Paddles don't work, you can't close the gates fully.

"There's rubbish stuck in gates, rubbish gets stuck around your propeller."

Rachel Ballett called the maintenance of Yorkshire's canals "woeful".

Earlier this month, Ms Ballett's vessel was among 20 canal boats stranded in Hebden Bridge after a faulty lock was left open.

She had been stuck further up the Rochdale Canal days earlier because of low water levels and "trapped" in Lancashire because of repair work before then.

Ms Ballett described the maintenance of canals in Yorkshire as "woeful."

"It's very difficult to navigate, to operate the locks, there are an awful lot of locks not working properly and leaking.

"Things are approaching rock bottom and the government has got to help".

Mr McGinley added: "We need to get the canal system working reliably.

"Investment would bring more work into the canals and make them work properly everyday."