Скачать или смотреть Major incident at canal collapse in Shropshire - update on fix - how long? (3) (UK) 6/Jan/2026

Repairing a canal collapse that left boats swallowed up in a deep trench as water poured out could take most of 2026, authorities have said.

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New aerial footage shows the extent of damage to the Llangollen Canal and its embankment in Whitchurch, Shropshire, caused by a breach on 22 December.

Two narrowboats were left at the bottom of a trench in the canal bed and a third hanging over the edge. Dozens of other boats were left grounded.

The Canal and River Trust said some of the boats had been rescued, but repairing the wider damage to the site would be a "huge project costing several million pounds".

Julie Sharman, chief operating officer of the Canal and River Trust, said engineers were still investigating the cause of the "catastrophic" failure.

"Sometimes [the cause is] not definitive," she said.

"Earth structures are quite complex, and there's a number of thoughts as to what might be the cause but I'd rather not speculate.

"When you get a water path through an embankment it unravels as it goes and then it gets quite catastrophic as we can see here and the damage is significant."

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