Watch: Narrowboats remain stranded a week on from catastrophic north Shropshire canal collapse
New drone photos show narrowboats still stranded in a collapsed Shropshire canal a week after its 200-year-old embankment caved in.
Emergency workers could be seen positioning boat turners on Monday morning (December 29) in a bid to winch the stranded boats to safety.
Workers began securing the ruined banks today, a week after they breached on December 22.
Emergency services were called to the Chemistry area of Whitchurch following the "significant breach" of the Llangollen Canal in the early hours of last Monday.
Two boats were engulfed by the 50 sq m hole that formed and remain inside, while a third was left perched on its edge. That boat, Pacemaker, has since been pulled back from the edge of the breach.
At least 10 people had to be rescued after the banks breached shortly after 4.40am.
New pictures today show pumps in place to keep water levels normal and to prevent further catastrophic flooding.
Workers were also seen positioning a boat turner while preparing to rescue the three stranded boats.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up to support the affected narrowboat owners has raised more than £79,000 in under a week.
Canal & River Trust chief executive Campbell Robb previously said: “Now the initial emergency response, including the concern for boaters’ immediate safety, has passed, our teams have been working hard to refill the Llangollen Canal around the site of the breach.
"This will mean the boats in the immediate area are refloating, and navigation along other affected areas will be restored.
“Our engineers are continuing their investigations into why the canal embankment was undermined and will be drawing up plans for its repair.
"We’ll be providing regular updates and assurance to the local and boating community in the weeks ahead.
"Thankfully, breaches of this scale are relatively rare, but, when they do occur, they’re expensive and complicated to fix.
“I’m thankful that, working with Shropshire Council, initial support has been there for all the people and pets who got caught up in this disaster.
"With most of the boats now refloating, we’ll continue to support those affected.”
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