Boats without much water after the canal drained at Shebdon.

Fifty canal boats were stuck in Market Drayton over the weekend because of a leak on the Shropshire Union Canal.

The boats had begun moving again yesterday after being forced to stop in the town since Thursday evening because of a leak on the canal network across the county border in Staffordshire.

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The Shropshire Union Canal at Shebdon Embankment will remain closed while the leak is repaired. British Waterways staff are said to be working to minimise the impact of the canal closure.

David Baldacchino, customer operations manager, said the leak, between Shebdon Bridge and Park Heath Bridge, was still being investigated and would take several weeks to repair.

He said the canal was closed to boat traffic at 6.30pm on Thursday following the discovery of the leak.

The towpaths in the vicinity are also closed to allow movement of materials and plant.

“We quickly isolated this stretch of canal, allowing the situation to be stabilised,” aid Mr Baldacchino.

“Of course, the closure will inevitably impact upon the movement of craft along the canal and we are sorry for the disruption this will cause to holidaymakers.”

Mr Baldacchino said 50 boats had to stay put in Market Drayton over the weekend.

“The impact would have been immediate. As soon as the hole was detected then the stoppage notice was put in place,” he said.

“They have been moving from about lunchtime yesterday, there were 50 there to start with.

“There will be a backlog north and south of the stoppage site.

“They would have been stopped at various points along the network.”

Over the weekend, water feed to the northern section of the canal was reinstated, allowing people to sail north in the direction of either the Llangollen Canal or the Trent & Mersey via the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union, to continue their holiday taking in different stretches of waterway.

And now British Waterways is working to minimise the impact by placing additional staff on locks at other canals to cope with extra boat traffic, notifying boaters currently on the affected stretch about alternative cruising destinations and providing updates on canalside notice boards and www.waterscape.com

Mr Baldacchino thanked those affected for their continued patience while the situation was resolved.

He said the canal remained navigable from Autherley Junction to beyond Norbury in the south and from Hurleston Junction into the rest of the network.

Once the current backlog is cleared in the next couple of days, it will be business as usual away from the affected area, Mr Baldacchino said.

Meanwhile, customers are requested to follow the instructions of British Waterways’ staff on site in order to maximise the number of boats that can continue on their way.

British Waterways is the public corporation responsible for the care and enhancement of the nation’s remarkable 2,200-mile-long, two centuries-old network of canals and rivers.

They work in partnership with public, private and voluntary sector organisations to realise the full social, environmental and economic potential of the waterways for the benefit of all.

For more information visit www.britishwaterways.co.uk

The Shropshire Union main line was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford.

The name Shropshire Union comes from the amalgamation of the various component companies – Ellesmere Canal, Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, Montgomery Canal – that came together to form the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company.

The main line between Nantwich and Autherley Junction was almost built as a railway, although eventually it was decided to construct it as a waterway.

By Deborah Collins