Navigation closure notice highlights underinvestment in local canals

After a “Navigation Closure Notice” was put in place restricting access to the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals in August, local MP Lisa Smart is talking to the chief executive of the Canal and River Trust, Stuart Mills, to ensure this can be avoided again in the future. 

The MP has already highlighted in a dedicated Westminster debate the risks that face the local waterways after the Government cut funding to the Trust, and is now concerned that low water levels leading to the notice being put in place will damage the crucial infrastructure, and put at risk the area’s industrial heritage. 

Lisa Smart, the MP for Hazel Grove constituency, said: “Our campaign to have this area made a World Heritage site highlights just how remarkable an area this is, but the failure to invest in local waterways could result in long-term damage. 

“Low water levels could result in the canals being put at risk of greater damage – doubling the negative impact of these funding cuts.”

The closure notice had been caused by falling water levels at the local Bosley and Bollington reservoirs, as well as works at Toddbrook. 

The MP continued: “We need to make sure that the Government is tackling the practical works that are needed, at the pace that is needed, as well as responding to the longer term issue of climate change. 

“When you see the practical impacts and costs of climate change on local features such as these canals, it really brings home how important it is to deal with this now, not leave it to the next generation.”