Badgers have been blamed for the collapse of a 40-metre stretch of embankment on the Llangollen Canal. The animals are thought to have burrowed too close to the canal, causing 10 million gallons of water to flood onto fields.

A section of the waterway has been closed since the breach near Bettisfield on the Wales-England border on 7 December.

British Waterways staff managed to stem the flow of water on the night the bank broke but the level had already dropped by a foot.

They have worked around the clock since to rebuild the sides but repairs are not expected to be finished until Easter 2005. The total cost has been estimated at Ł500,000.

The 47-mile canal flows between Nantwich in Cheshire to Llangollen and is due to celebrate its bicentenary in 2005.

For more information, please click the following link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/4093559.stm

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