Yesterday there was an update on the C&RT website regarding the breach.

Update 08/02/2021

The repair programme remains on schedule and the site will continue to be monitored daily until completion of the cofferdam installation at the end of February. The team are around half way through the installation of the steel piles for the cofferdam and once in place the water between the walls will be pumped out so our engineers can view the damage. While pumping this water out, any fish trapped between the walls will be rescued and relocated back into the canal. A detailed investigation of the damage will then inform the repair programme and costs involved. 

The weather hasn’t been too conducive for flying drones over the weekend, but Mark has been back out this morning to check on progress since last week.

The western end of the piling is about two thirds of the way across the cut now.

The piles, I’m guessing are about 18 to 20ft long, are being driven in further now. Once they reach the other bank and if the level drops on one side the piling will have to be able to withstand a lot of pressure.

You can see on the far bank three pipes which turn towards the canal, these will be used to pump the water around the cofferdam. It actually looks like there is a forth, they just haven’t finished laying it yet.

The level in the drain below the canal looks to be lower than it has been since the breach occurred. Water can still be seen coming out from the bank of large rocks.

On the road side of the canal there are two more sections of pontoon. I wonder what these will be for?

Maybe they are being used to transport more sections of piling to the large pontoon.

More piling sits in the snow covered fields, waiting to be transported to the canal.

It must be very chilly out there.

Thank you once again to Mark for letting me use his photos, good to see that C&RT are using them too.

On the Shroppie dams are now in place around the two breaches and water is being pumped up from the River Gowy to help maintain levels north of Locks 10 and 11. The navigation has reopened for essential travel. NB Bargus and NB Halsall the coal boats on the Four Counties Ring are working their way around the stoppages both here and at the northern end of the Trent and Mersey where there has been a landslip into the canal. These coal boats also have coal vans, so they can still deliver to boats not currently reachable by boat.