Audlem Locks ready to welcome new visitor season

(The website link that was here no longer works) A £500,000 project to repair a stretch of popular Cheshire waterway is ready to welcome the new visitor season. The work along the Shropshire Union Canal restored the embankment between Locks 13 and 14 in Audlem. The canal reopened to traffic on Saturday 17 March. The towpath is now also fully open.

British Waterways Wales & Border Counties Project Manager David Thorne said the work will benefit visitors through one of the best used stretches of waterway in the country. "The 'Shroppie' is one of our key holiday routes, with over 11,000 boat journeys annually through Audlem Locks," said Mr Thorne.

"Audlem is an established destination in itself, with attractive waterside public houses and extensive moorings. The site is also the southern gateway to the Weaver Valley Regional Park, so it attracts thousands of walkers annually," he added.

Work involved installing slope drains and long structural piling to strengthen the embankment, along with reinstatement of the towpath and parts of the towpath edge.

"We are focusing on landscaping the embankment and removing site materials so the area will soon be fully restored," said Mr Thorne.

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