Repairing bridges and banks along the Mon & Brec Canal
A FOUR- month programme of improvements to protect and preserve the picturesque Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is due to be completed this month.
Repairs to bridges and banks are being carried out along the 35-mile canal by a team of staff and volunteers from Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales.
Area operations manager for the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, Lee Brain, said: “Our winter works programme is vital to ensure we keep the rich history of the canal alive so we can protect it to benefit people today and for future generations.
“Our skilled team of staff and volunteers is working to repair bridges, leaks and the concrete channel in the canal as part of our ongoing maintenance to keep the canal open, safe and accessible for boaters and all other visitors.”
The programme has included draining the canal between Brecon Basin and Brynich Lock to keep the canal watertight at the most northern point, grouting work on the Llan-Brynean Bridge and leak investigation and concrete channel repairs just north of Goytre Wharf at Llanover.
Already completed are repairs at Baylis Bridge, while channel repairs were due to be completed in mid-February at Park y Brain south of Goytre Wharf.
Lee added: “The canal is over two centuries old and the work that we are doing is vital as the canal holds such a special place in the heart of the Usk Valley and Brecon Beacons National Park for people, wildlife and its heritage.”
The trust is investing £250,000 in the canal this winter, part of a wider £50 million it has raised to invest in the canal network across England and Wales. The works are vital to keep the canal network in working order despite the challenges caused by its age and the increasing impact of climate change.
For more information on the work of Glandŵr Cymru and how the charity is working to #KeepCanalsAlive go to canalrivertrust. org. uk to discover more about volunteering or donating.