THE DETERIORATION OF Iron Lock 11 on the Llangollen Canal means its work has been brought forward.
The work was scheduled for next winter, Keith Gudgin reports.
Repairs cannot wait
But the condition of the lock has deteriorated so much that the repairs cannot wait until next winter and so work will commence on the the works will be carried on Monday 2nd March and are expected to last whilst the 23rd March.
The repairs are required to both the top and bottom gates, as the lock is currently unable to hold water.
This means the navigation will be closed for that period, our being told that the team will be working on both the head and tail gates simultaneously and will also be working weekends, which is why the closure is scheduled to finish on a Monday.
The team will work to shorten the schedule as much as possible to reduce disruption. The Iron Lock is in fact constructed of cast iron and one of the last locks built be Thomas Telford, and built of iron as the ground was unstable.
Superseded a stone lock
It was constructed of flanged plates and anchored to piles of H-sections 12 feet deep with additional piles to support the hinge plates of the lower gates.
It is understood this superseded a stone lock that proved too heavy for the unstable ground.