Canal culvert sinkhole repair to begin next week

Earlier this year a sinkhole appeared on the bank above a culvert carrying the River Ray below the canal in Wichelstowe.
A temporary dam was put in place while the council's Highways team investigated and learned more about the scale of the problem and how best to fix it.
Following those investigations, repair work has been scheduled to begin on Monday 2 September, and will take a week.
In order to do this, the water level in one of the existing culverts will need to be lowered in order for the team to make the repair, although the team says there should be limited impact on those using the canal or the towpath alongside it.

Cllr Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “I’m glad we’re finally getting this part of the canal repaired and that it should be a relatively quick piece of work.

“We appreciate it’s been a few months since the initial problem was realised, but due to the complexities of the location it’s been difficult to establish the scale of the issue. We have also had to wait for a period in the year where the water levels are naturally lower.

“I’d like to thank our Highways team for their hard work and the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust for their support with this issue.”