Woman 'traumatised' after falling into Walsall canal

People have mistaken the weed in the water, pictured in 2020, for concrete or grass

A woman says she has been left traumatised after falling into a canal.

A weedy covering on Walsall's canal basin has caught a number people unawares, as it leaves the deep water looking more like grass or asphalt.

Alexia Niang, 25, wants local authorities to do more to make the area safer but said she had been disappointed by the response.

Walsall Council said it had "carefully considered" extra safety measures.

Ms Niang, from London, was in Walsall visiting a friend on 15 July and walking to a nearby restaurant when she said she "just stepped in".

"It looks exactly like grass," she said.

A friend helped her out, she added, but people in the area "were just watching me basically drown".

The basin when it is clear of weeds

Ms Niang suffers from anxiety which she said had been exacerbated by the incident. She said she had taken time off work, cancelled holidays and had struggled to leave the house.

She went to Walsall Manor Hospital but said she had not been seen for 11 hours before deciding to leave. She did not sustain any serious injuries but felt unwell for two days afterwards.

Ms Niang has since contacted Walsall Council and the Canal and River Trust and urged them to install better safety measures, but said no-one was "taking accountability".

This buoy was installed after a number of people fell into Walsall Basin in the town's Gallery Square

"From a highways perspective, the path at the town end of the canal is 3m wide which is much wider than a standard towpath," a Walsall Council spokesperson said.

In 2021, the Canal and River Trust installed a buoy to remind people to "take extra care" in the area after three people fell in in just one day.

Two cars are known to have driven into the basin and in 2019 there were calls for barriers to be put up after one man and his son fell in.

A spokesperson for the charity said it was sorry to hear of Ms Niang's fall and that safety was its priority.

It said a number of measures were in place including bollards, signage and removing duck-weed but it would "continue to work to identify further improvements".