Canal boats stranded as water drains through lock

Large parts of the canal are now just mud, after the water drained away

More than 20 canal boats have been left stranded after a stretch of waterway in West Yorkshire ran dry due to a faulty lock being left open.

The vessels became stuck when water levels fell between Locks 7 and 8 on the Rochdale Canal in Hebden Bridge on Friday.

House boat owner Wendy Wells said her home was left stranded in the middle of the canal, leaving her unable to sail back to her moorings.

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) said Lock 7 was broken and should not have been used but another boater had opened it to pass through, causing the water to drain away.

A spokesperson said staff had created a "temporary fix" after it was noticed that water was leaking through the lock but it had been undone by another boater

"With a permanent repair required to stop water leaking through the lock, the local team had created a temporary ‘fix’," the CRT said.

"This would enable water levels in the canal above the lock to recover.

"Unfortunately, some boaters have ignored the closure and continued their journey through the lock, breaking this temporary fix and causing water levels in the canal above the lock to lower even further."

Apologising for the "dramatic impact" the CRT said it was working on a repair programme as a "top priority".

Jay Dykes rents her boat from Suzi Harris, who said the water level is never this low

Canal boat tenant Jay Dykes, 22, who only moved onto her boat at the weekend, said she had seen a boat come through the lock while it was meant to be out of use.

She said: "A cruiser came through, they had been stuck at Lock 27 in Todmorden for two weeks, getting more and more enraged.

"I offered to help him with the lock, but said you know that if you go through you can't get any further. He said it had been fixed, but it hadn't.

"I heard he was speeding all the way from Lock 27 and left every lock open."

She added: "There is a problem with that guy, but the real reason is CRT's lack of maintenance.

"It shouldn't have leaked like that."

The Rochdale Canal links Sowerby Bridge with Manchester

Ms Dykes, who has mobility problems and is struggling to get on and off the boat as it sits at a lower level on the canal bed, rents her home from Suzi Harris.

Ms Harris bought the boat in lockdown, and said: "You do get the water levels dropping in the summer but usually it's just for half a day, it's nothing like this, this is really bad.

"They sometimes restrict the use of the locks for a few days and then it fills up again."

Ms Harris said the bottom of the boats can become damaged when out of water, as the blacking on the bottom can dry out and crack.

Wendy Wells woke up to find her boat had become grounded in the canal

Ms Wells, 67, came to Hebden Bridge a few weeks ago to visit her son and was making her way back to Castleford when she was left stranded in the middle of the waterway.

On Saturday, builders working nearby gave her a plank of wood to use as a walkway between her boat and the towpath, so she and her partner could get on and off.

"On Sunday, we got up and there was no water, my boat was on its side, it was pretty distressing really and it's been like that since", Ms Wells said.

"It is designed to float, it's not designed to sit on the bottom. I'm really worried about who is going to pay for the damage."

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