Chance to see drained canal at Tinsley Locks open day

Hundreds of gallons of water and scores of fish have been removed from Tinsley Locks as part of an upgrade programme.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Feb 2016, 08:00 BST
A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Pictured is John Cottam, Construction Supervisor North East, at lock 11 where they are replacing the lock gates.A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Pictured is John Cottam, Construction Supervisor North East, at lock 11 where they are replacing the lock gates.
A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Pictured is John Cottam, Construction Supervisor North East, at lock 11 where they are replacing the lock gates.

The locks, made famous in the opening scenes of The Full Monty, have been drained ready for several of the huge wooden gates to be replaced.

The Canal and River Trust is carrying out repairs to the 19th century lock flight on the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal at a cost of £500,000. Four sets of 30-year-old gates have been replaced this week by bespoke new ones made at the Stanley Ferry Workshop in Wakefield.

A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Work to drain lock 11 so the fish can be rescued from the water so work can begin.A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Work to drain lock 11 so the fish can be rescued from the water so work can begin.
A major repair project to Tinsley's Locks is underway by the Canal & River Trust as part of a £1/2 million restoration to this 19th century lock flight. Pictured is work on no 11 lock. On Sunday 14 February the Trust is inviting the local community to a public open day at Lock 11, next to Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Visitors will be able to walk along the bed of the lock which is over 15 feet deep and get an insight into canal maintenance by speaking to the specialist craftsman. Work to drain lock 11 so the fish can be rescued from the water so work can begin.
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As part of the process, any fish in the locks had to be rescued using a humane technique called electrofishing, where the fish are temporarily stunned by an electric current so they can be scooped up and transferred to another section of the canal. According to the trust, about 90lb of fish – mainly roach and a few chub – were moved.

Waterway manager Jon Horsfall said: “This is skilled work today, so it’s simply incredible how the original canal builders created the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal.

“Their legacy lives on and now repairing the lock gates at Tinsley is part of our essential maintenance to enable the local canal and river network to be enjoyed by thousands of people every day.”

A free open day, when people will be able to see the drained lock, will be held at lock 11, next to Meadowhall, on Sunday, February 14.

Related topics:SheffieldWakefield