Grantham Canal reed clearance project gets £27,000 grant

Grantham Canal runs through Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire

A project to clear reeds that have grown over a canal which is being restored has received a £27,000 grant.

Grantham Canal, which runs through Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, closed to boats in 1929.

Rushcliffe Borough Council, in Nottinghamshire, awarded the grant to the Canal and River Trust, which is overseeing the project.

The trust said: "The Grantham Canal is a valuable place for wildlife and a much-loved place for local people."

The waterways charity is removing excessive reed growth in a 13ft (four metre) wide channel across the middle of the canal at sites in Kinoulton, Hickling, Cotgrave, Gamston and Lady Bay.

The trust hopes the channel will provide clear water, for fish, dragonflies and other aquatic plants as well as improving water flow.

With bird nesting season approaching, daily checks are being carried out ahead of the works.

Grantham Canal

• The canal connects Nottingham and Grantham, passing through three counties

• It opened in 1797 and originally transported coal and bulk materials including stone and lime

• Competition from the railways began to affect profits from about 1830

• The last traffic on the Grantham Canal was human waste collected and used as fertiliser

• This was put on to canal barges and transported to farms in the Vale of Belvoir

• The canal stopped being used to transport waste in the mid-1920s

Abby Brennan, the council's cabinet portfolio holder for communities and climate change, said: "This project is vital for protecting the wildlife and nature along the Grantham Canal.

"We want to help mitigate the effects of climate change on wildlife and biodiversity.

"These works will help to ensure the water keeps flowing along the canal, maintaining the valuable open water habitat, and provide a scenic water view for local residents and visitors using the canal path."

Richard Bennett, heritage and environment manager for the trust, said: "The Grantham Canal is a valuable place for wildlife and a much-loved place for local people to enjoy a breath of fresh air so it's really important that we carry out these works.

"It's easy to forget that the canal is a man-made environment and needs careful management to keep it a special place that benefits both people and wildlife.

"These works will improve the overall health of the Grantham Canal, increasing the variety of habitats available and improving water flow along the canal, which, because it has few streams and other sources of water flowing into it, is heavily reliant on rainfall in some sections to keep it topped up."