Listed bridge to be canvas for Diwali light show

The free annual event takes place on the Grade I-listed Galton Bridge in Smethwick

A Black Country canal bridge will be lit up this weekend as part of ongoing Diwali celebrations.

The light display will take place on and beneath the Grade I-listed Galton Bridge, in Smethwick, on Saturday.

The Canal & River Trust charity is organising the free annual event along with volunteers from two Sikh community groups.

The charity said the light show provided an alternative to fireworks, by offering people a way to celebrate without noise, pollution, or firework litter.

The show, which is called the Smethwick Luminaire, will run from 17:00 until 20:00 GMT.

The Smethwick Luminaire show uses floodlights on the canal towpath to bounce off the bridge and the water

The Canal & River Trust said that while Diwali took place last week, their event had been scheduled a little later to reduce potential disruption to bats along the waterway, whose activity decreased with colder weather.

Volunteers from the Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick, a local Sikh temple, and Eco-Sikh UK, a group that tries to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity, will be helping out on the day.

Floodlights will be set up on the canal towpath to bounce off the surface of the water and also the bridge, which was built in 1829.