Low canal water levels slow and strand bargers

Some narrowboats had been stranded for about a fortnight, one canal user said

Narrowboat owners have been disrupted, and some stranded, by low water levels after parts of the West Midlands canal network were shut due to extended dry weather.

The closure of the lock flight at Minworth means the Curdworth section of the Birmingham and Fazeley canal is impassable.

Lock flights are also closed at Wolverhampton, Rushall in Walsall, Cheddleton in Staffordshire and Coventry, which the Canal & River Trust said would continue until prolonged rainfall replenished supplies.

One owner, Tom Chadwin, said he had not been prevented from doing anything he needed to, but "it has slowed us down quite a lot".

He added: "For instance, coming out of Birmingham down south towards Stratford, the water level looked like it was down about 18 inches, so you're constantly running aground."

Tom Chadwin said low water levels were slowing his narrowboat down

Another, Ray Bowden, said the dry spell had had made him more aware of where he was going and not wasting water.

"If you're going through double locks, then you wait for another boat to come with you, so you double up together without wasting the water," he said.

Following the closure of the lock at Curdworth, narrowboats upstream have been stranded until water levels rise. One owner said he had been there for nearly a fortnight.

But the trust has said the majority of the network was "open and fully navigable".

Ray Bowden said he was taking steps to avoid wasting water

It has still been a busy summer for Alvechurch Marina in Worcestershire.

Haley Hadley, from ABC Leisure Group, said there were "lots of routes for customers still to cruise".

She added recent weather had led to "lots of very last-minute bookings" and customers could "get out [and] enjoy the routes that are available".

A different reason applies at the nearby Tardebigge locks, the longest flight in the country, where a closure has been put in place so essential repairs can be carried out to 200-year-old bricks.

Ms Hadley said: "It's due to reopen this month, which we're delighted about because it's a really popular route."

Haley Hadley, from ABC Leisure Group, said there were "lots of routes" for customers still to cruise