Latest on sinkhole that threatened to empty Swindon canal

Earlier this year a sinkhole appeared on the bank above a culvert carrying the River Ray below the Wilts & Berks Canal in Wichelstowe.

A temporary dam was put in place while our Highways team undertook investigations to learn more about the scale of the problem and how best to fix it.

Work will now begin on 2 September (and last for approximately one week) to repair the culvert.

The temporary dam put in place to prevent the canal emptying through a sinkhole (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

To do this, the water level in one of the existing culverts will need to be lowered for the team to make the repair.

There should be limited impact on those using the canal or the towpath alongside it.

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “I’m glad we’re finally getting this part of the canal repaired and that it should be a relatively quick piece of work.

“We appreciate it’s been a few months since the initial problem was realised, but due to the complexities of the location it’s been difficult to establish the scale of the issue. We have also had to wait for a period in the year when the water levels are naturally lower.

“I’d like to thank our Highways team for their hard work and the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust for their support with this issue.”

(Image: Swindon Borough Council)

Speaking to the BBC at the time of the sinkhole being discovered, Mr Watts said: "Something like this, you have to act quickly. We have the river that runs below the canal, the River Ray, which goes through the middle of Swindon.

"This canal is very much loved by the people of Swindon. It's actually one of the key leisure assets that we have in the town."

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (WBCT) is a charitable organisation attempting to restore the area's canal network and has only short stretches left in its project to reinstate the canal in sections.

Peggy-Sue Ford, branch secretary, told the BBC, they want to get the Swindon section of the canal approved to go back into the town centre, to Wharf Green, where it used to flow.

The canal would have previously run between Semington, near Melksham, all the way to Abingdon, and the main aim of the trust is to reinstate it in full.