Badgers blamed for canal collapse

13 December 2004 - BBC News

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 £500,000.

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