'Canal breach may mean our 25th year is the last'

The owners of a cafe close to the Whitchurch canal collapse fear they will lose more than 70% of their trade while the waterway is shut for the major repair.

Chris Burntwood and his family have run the Lockside Cafe for 25 years, and he said he is worried that if the canal is closed for too long it could be their final year in business.

"It is a genuine worry... the likelihood is if we lose 70% of our trade, I think the 25th year might be our last year here. It is that stark," he said.

The Canal and River Trust say repairing the Llangollen canal could take most of 2026 and will be a "huge project, costing several million pounds."

Burntwood said although this time of year is quieter than usual, the closure of the canal and towpath will cost them income they would usually get.

"Just over 70% of our trade are tourists, walkers or canal boaters ... the whole area is closed off," he said.

"You cannot utilise the towpath, you cannot utilise the canal."

He said his family was upset at the prospect of being forced to close the cafe.

"It's very sad for my mother, who set the business up 25 years ago, my sister who currently runs operations and obviously myself, who saw it staying in the family for another 25 years," he added.

Laura Wood, who runs Drifting Wood Canal Breaks, operating two holiday boats along the canal.

One of the boats was left on the bottom of the canal at Grindley Brook Wharf after the breach led to all the water draining out.

Wood said that seeing her boat like that left her with a feeling of "grief".

"It's actually something that's quite difficult to deal with emotionally because I don't know what's going to happen," she said.

With the canal now closed for months of repairs, she has had to refund customers, some of whom were coming from the likes of Canada and Australia, because there is no guarantee the waterway will be reopened by the summer.

"I feel like I'm letting them down... if I thought I could fix it I'd be there with a shovel," Wood added.

She said she could be forced to sell one of her boats because of the drop in trade.

The impact of the canal breach could have a massive impact on the wider local economy if no tourists can use it, Wood said.

"The length of that canal must bring in millions to local businesses because people stay on my boat, they're also shopping locally, they'll be going to local bars and restaurants, staying in local hotels," she said.

"So it does actually bring a lot of money into Whitchurch and the surrounding area."

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