A 1km stretch of canal in the heart of London has been completely drained of water ahead of the Canal & River Trust’s £45 million winter restoration programme which starts next month. Hundreds of fish, including massive 3ft-long carp weighing 25 pounds, were scooped up and moved to safety.
- Major draining of 200-year-old London canal for critical safety repairs
- 7.5million gallons, the equivalent to nearly 300,000 baths of water and 14 Olympic swimming pools
- Over 500 fish were rescued, including several 25lb carp and around 350 rare European Eels
The Regent's Canal has been drained between Johnson Lock and Limehouse Basin in east London to allow specialist brick-layers to repair large, 2-3ft-wide voids which have developed in the canal wall. Works are expected to start this week and the area will remain empty for ten weeks, re-opening ahead of Christmas.
Over 500 fish were rescued and relocated upstream, including carp, bream and perch and around 350 European Eels. A team of two sent an electric current into the water to encourage the fish not to swim and then scooped them out with nets.
Born in the Sargasso Sea, the eels travel for three years to the Thames Estuary to spend up to 25 years of their life in London canals before returning to breed.
John Ellis, national fisheries and angling manager at Canal & River Trust, says: “The Regent’s Canal is an important habitat for the protected European Eel and the Trust takes our responsibility to care for the fish in our waterways very seriously. The electric current does not harm the fish at all and it makes it much easier for us to move them to safety. The essential works to improve the brickwork of the Regent’s will not affect their habitat once the canal is refilled.”
In November, the Canal & River Trust will begin a major overhaul of its waterways as part of a five-month, multi-million pound maintenance programme to canals and rivers across England and Wales. As part of this, next month the public will be given the rare chance to go behind-the-scenes and venture into the bottom of the Regent’s canal, giving them the opportunity to see up close some of the finest examples of working industrial heritage in the world.
The essential maintenance will include the replacement of worn-out lock gates and repairs to aqueducts, reservoirs and tunnels. The works will also provide thousands of visitors the rare chance to go behind-the-scenes and venture into the bottom of drained lock chambers.
Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, says: “The Canal & River Trust cares for a remarkable 2,000 mile network of historic waterways, ensuring they work as they were designed to 200 years ago. The Regent's Canal drainage and repair work is just one of many projects we undertake which also give the public a rare glimpse beneath the surface of our waterways and a chance to appreciate the work we do to care for these national treasures.”
The charity carries out a year round programme of works to maintain and repair 2,000 miles of canals and rivers so they can be enjoyed by the 33,000 boaters that use the network and 12 million towpath visitors each year. Many of the biggest projects are carried out during the winter months to minimise the impact on waterway users.
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