Fears over damaged towpath
A LARGE section of a towpath has collapsed into the Ashby Canal in Hinckley, near a road bridge which is also showing signs of damage.
Concrete slabs at the edge of the water and an area of the gravel path have fallen away, a few yards away from the Nutts Lane bridge.
The road often becomes busy with HGVs when there is a bridge collision on the A5, as traffic uses the route as a cut-through to Coventry Road.
Hinckley councillor David Bill was alarmed at the damage, which he said had made the towpath dangerous to walk along.
He said: “One of the concerns about the continuing delays to the A5 is the pressure this puts on the connecting roads through Hinckley.
“The 200-year-old canal bridge in
Nutts Lane is a good example of the infrastructure being totally inadequate to carry the volume of heavy traffic which passes over it.
“It has to be conjecture whether vibrations from this traffic are the cause of the damage to the towpath under the bridge. But I have drawn this latest situation to the attention of the Canal and River Trust, who maintain the bridge.
“The towpath is now dangerous to use, particularly at night as it is unlit.” The towpath near the bridge is showing other signs of damage, with a hole in the gravel path almost a foot wide, under the bridge, while one of the corners of the concrete slabs has fallen away.
The water also appears to have encroached on grass at the water’s edge, with wooden slats along the edge of the walkway mostly submerged.
Cllr Bill reported the incident to the Canal and River Trust. In a response seen by the Hinckley Times, the trust says this sort of damage to canal walls is common and not likely to be related to the road traffic.
The trust concluded that the collapse is “likely to be caused by erosion to the canal washwall caused largely by the propulsion of boats, which can create voids in the wall”.
A trust spokesman said: “We aim to have a barrier along the affected section in place this week.
“Once the towpath has been made safe we’ll begin investigations into the damage and identifying the necessary repairs.
“Damage to canal walls like this is not uncommon on the 200-year-old waterways that we care for and this particular case is unlikely to be related to use of the bridge.”
The trust told Cllr Bill that the last major inspection of the bridge was in 2007 and that there had been no significant deterioration since then. Officials said they would carry out a dive survey of the underwater structure to assess whether more work is needed.
Several cracks have appeared in recent years in the walls of the bridge. A corner of the brickwork by the waterside, on the opposite side to the towpath, has fallen away. Last year, Cllr Bill, along with Councillor Ann Pendlebury, met with representatives from the trust to discuss the issue. Some of the cracks were previously outlined with yellow markings and numbered.
In 2020, the towpath around the bridge was widened and resurfaced, connecting it to the new Sansome Drive estate.
The £50,000 project was paid for with Section 106 funds from developer Taylor Wimpey.