Gloucester Lock stranded boaters 'get away' after repairs

Gloucester Lock connects the River Severn and Gloucester and Sharpness Canal

A damaged lock that left some boaters stranded on a stretch of canal for several months has been re-opened.

Gloucester Lock, which connects the River Severn and Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, has been out of action since mid-January due to a leak.

It was due to open on Thursday morning, but there was a delay after divers discovered a "wall of silt".

The Canal and River Trust said it had been "the most challenging job" it had ever taken on.

A temporary dam was installed at the beginning of the year to allow the lock to be drained, after a leak was found under the lock gates.

Hundreds of tonnes of silt then had to be removed to allow engineers to assess the damage.

Mark Abraham, from the Canal and River Trust, said local businesses had been "absolutely brilliant with us and understanding".

"It's been very frustrating for them but even more frustrating for the team that's been working on it," he said.

"This has been the most challenging job we've taken on as an internal team."

Repairs to the lock were originally expected to take six weeks

Repairs to the lock were originally expected to take six weeks.

Peter, from Stroud, who has a boat in Gloucester, said he had been waiting for more than a month "to get away".

"We were hoping they'd do the repair fairly quickly, but three and a half months later it hadn't happened," he said.

'Frustrating time'

"We spend half the year on the boat normally, but this has put us back."

Jay Clements, from English Holiday Cruises, said it had "definitely been a frustrating time".

"We've been in close contact with the trust and every step of the way we've understood what's going on," he said.

"But in the nature of this sort of work setbacks can happen."