Fish to be moved from Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath ahead of lock scheme
Hundreds of fish will be rescued from the Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath today ahead of a lock gate restoration scheme.
Work by the Canal and River Trust on locks seven to 13 of the Bath Flight, which includes the second deepest lock in the country, means the stretch needs to be drained of water.
The fish, including bream and perch, will be stunned with an electric pulse before being netted and rehomed on another section of the canal.
Robert Eaton, project manager at the trust, said: “Bath Flight is right in the heart of the city and hugely popular, with thousands of people visiting it each year. Every winter we carry out essential maintenance work on the canals and rivers and in this case some of the lock gates are in need of a bit of TLC.
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“It is quite an extensive operation, but one we are well used to dealing with. Our specialist fish rescue contractors use a low electric pulse which stuns the fish. They are then netted and moved to a safe part of the canal.”
The trust, with the help of thousands of volunteers, is responsible for maintaining and improving the nation’s waterways.
It spends around £50 million nationwide every winter on lock gate replacements, brick work repairs, as well as embankment maintenance, work on reservoirs and other activities.
Following the fish rescue, the repair work will take place at a section which begins near Halfpenny Bridge behind the railway station. The fish rescue will be completed this week and the lock repairs expected to be finished by the middle of next month.
Locks eight and nine in Bath have been merged to create the second deepest lock in the country. The chamber is 19ft 5ins deep.
Comments
by DaveF_Walcot
Thursday, February 21 2013, 2:06PM
“"It is quite an extensive operation, but one we are well used to dealing with"
Hardly surprising seeing the previous time was only last year.
"Every winter we carry out essential maintenance work on the canals and rivers"
But not in the same location, on the same structures. This proves the 'work' performed last time was carried out by cowboys. Hopefully they have competent workers who know one end of a grouting trowel from the other, & the collapsed stone wall bank by Top Lock bridge is rebuilt.”