Water returns to Montgomery Canal at Llanymynech

Residents and wildlife lovers have been celebrating the return of water to the Montgomery Canal which has been missing for weeks.

The exceptional weather has caused low water levels in the rivers which supply the Montgomery Canal and other works had particularly affected the flow of water to the canal between the picturesque locks at Carreghofa and the Wharf Visitor Centre at Llanymynech.

The dry weather has been affecting the whole network and the Canal & River Trust have asked canal users everywhere to help conserve water. The canal at Llanymynech dried out completely affecting swans, fish and ducks. Thankfully volunteers stepped in to save affected animals.

A spokesman for the team at Llanymynech Wharf said: “We are so pleased to see water returning to our stretch of the Montgomery Canal thanks to the efforts of the Canal & River Trust and their contractors. There is only a trickle at the moment and it will take a while before the canal recovers and we can run our boat trips.

“Our inland waterways were of course built in a different age and have to adapt to the changing climate and today’s ecological concerns. The dry conditions have been affecting waterways across Britain and on the continent too.

“The Montgomery Canal is run by the Canal & River Trust which as a charity relies on many volunteers who do much hard work to protect its built and natural heritage. Thanks are due to the volunteers who have been keeping the Llanymynech Canal Wharf visitor centre open while we have not been able to run our boat trips and to all the other volunteers who contribute to the Montgomery Canal, its heritage and its wildlife.”

Last week we reported how swans were rescued from a patch of the empty canal after becoming stuck in mud.