Leeds Liverpool Canal: Locks remain closed to boats as waterway dried out following hottest summer on record
A statement has been issued as stretches of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal have been left dried-out following a record breaking summer for heat.
The locks along the canal in Leeds are currently closed and some sections - such as by the Wellington Road overpass - have almost completely dried up, leaving some boats stranded.
The locks have been closed since the end of June due to low water levels, and The Canal & Rivers Trust has said that they will remain so until there has been sufficient rainfall.
Sean McGinley, who is the regional director in Yorkshire for the Canal & River Trust, said: “Despite some encouraging heavy downpours, our charity isn’t yet able to reopen the locks along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
“The rainfall has quickly been absorbed into the dry landscape, meaning there's unfortunately been little water making its way into the canal or its reservoirs.”
He said that the trust was hoping for steady rainfall over the coming weeks to top water levels up “to get the canal back open for boating”.
Mr McGinley: said: “We continue to monitor the situation daily and as soon as water levels allow, we’ll get the canal back open.
“Although we’re hoping for continued rain to get the canals back open for boats, it's important to stress that towpaths are still very much open for walking and cycling or simply to spend time in nature."
It comes as the county’s reservoir levels sit as 32.6%, well below the 72.7% average for this time of year, after an extremely dry spring and the hottest summer on record.