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Emergency rescue on Staffs and Worcs

22nd Aug 2006

Skilled engineers and bank staff from British Waterways came to the rescue recently after vandals loosened lock gates at a site on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal

The West Midlands Waterways hit squad were called out on the morning of Saturday July 8 to Wightwick Lock, to be confronted by the sight of both bottom gates unhinged and wedged at an alarming angle over a boat trapped within the lock.

Aware of the seriousness of the problem, emergency measures were quickly put into action, and by lunch time, a team lead by Engineer Mark Heath, and bank staff of Peter Sherwood, Peter Wright, Phil Hickman, and Bryan Lewis had assembled all the required apparatus onsite to commence the lift.

With all safety measures in place, and the assembled crowd briefed, the British Waterways team proceeded to raise the gates back into position. With the lift going according to plan, both gates were back in place, and the lock fully operational within an hour of starting. The occupants of the boat were fortunately unhurt.

Last updated: 22/10/2008