Canal locks to reopen after two-month closure

An old wooden lock gate being lowered by crane onto a yellow lorry trailer. A worker in orange hi-vis and a white hard hat is guiding the gate down onto the trailer. There are two similarly dressed people behind him. There is a grey van to the right of the picture and canalside houses to the left.Jane Pollard/Whilton Marina

The old lock gates have been removed with the help of a crane and a lorry

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire

A section of the UK's longest canal that has been closed since January for repair work will reopen on Friday.

Locks 12 and 13 in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, are having new handmade gates fitted.

The work was delayed by a previous project over-running and the water freezing over on the Grand Union Canal.

The locks had to be drained so the repairs could take place.

A lock on a canal. The gates nearest the camera are open, whilst the others are closed with a board beyond to prevent usage. There is a shallow water pool remaining in the lock, and the shadow of the lock gates is visible in the water. There is a metal fence to prevent access to the site. Stone steps from the towpath to the locks are visible to the right.Martin Heath/BBC

Lock 12 has been drained so the work can take place, leaving a shallow puddle at the bottom

A worker in an orange hi-vis and white hard hat with blue gloves is working at the base of a new lock gate. He has both hands on the ground. There is a yellow spade propped up against the lock wall. A wooden walkway is visible to the right.Canal and River Trust

Workers have been installing the new gate at Lock 12

The locks were build in 1796 and are two of the seven which make up the Buckby Lock Flight between Blisworth and Braunston.

The flight raises the level of the canal by 63 feet (19m).

A canal lock. An open gate is visible and the area is surrounded by yellow railings. There is a pipe into the water from the opposite towpath. There is a grass bank on either side of the canal and trees are also visible.Martin Heath/BBC

Lock 13 has been also been drained while the work takes place

Two workers in yellow hi-vis working on the wall of a lock. There is a ladder propped up to the right, and a black pipe going from the towpath to the canal. There are yellow fences on the towpath.Canal and River Trust

Workers have been repairing brickwork and masonry around Lock 13

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) said: "The works at Long Buckby started in early January and have mainly involved installing new top and bottom lock gates at Lock 13 and new top gates at Lock 12.

"Lock gates are typically replaced around every 25 years and are handmade from oak in one of our specialist lock gate workshops – in Stanley Ferry, Wakefield and Bradley, West Midlands."

The base of a canal, showing a dry patch covered in stones and an area of shallow water, on which a small duck is gliding past a piece of wood. There is a stone wall in the background, and a stream of water is rushing into it.Martin Heath/BBC

A lone duck navigates the remaining water on the bottom of the drained canal

The CRT said its teams had also been carrying out repairs to the brickwork and masonry within the locks.

Both are expected to be open by the end of the day on Friday.

The project on the Buckby flight is among the 159 repairs carried out as part of the CRT's winter maintenance programme.

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