Businesses concerned about silt at historic docks

Businesses say they are worried that a build-up of silt at the bottom of a city's historic docks could have an impact on their trade.

Dredging takes place at Gloucester Docks every winter but unusually low river levels last year mean that a higher level of sediment has built up.

Some businesses have lodged a formal complaint with the Canal and River Trust as they fear a further increase in silt could affect boats being able to come into the docks, resulting in less footfall and fewer customers for them.

The trust, which maintains the docks, says it had invested £2.8m on dredging this year and is expecting to spend a further £2m.

"I think it's a significant sum of investment to make sure that we restore the navigation and the operation of the docks," said Ben Cottam, director of Wales and the South West at the Canal and River Trust.

The trust said it had removed more than 26,000 cubic metres of silt, the equivalent of 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Despite this investment, some local businesses fear the current condition of the docks could impact the amount of people coming in to the city and have called for a long-term strategy to be put in place.

"It is one of the tourist attractions of the city," said David Purchase, owner of local cafe On Toast.

"If you're changing that into a mudded silted pond, that isn't going to attract tourists to your city and it's going to cause problems in terms of the economy of the city in the long run as well," he added.

Ken Elliot, co-founder of the Food Court, said: "Along with the forum, the cathedral and the redeveloped Kings Square, it's the most attractive part of the city and its what makes Gloucester special."

The Canal and River Trust heard the concerns of businesses at a meeting on Thursday which was attended by Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre.

The trust said in a statement: "We recognise that the docks are a significant asset to the city and wider region and beyond this, we are keen to be a part of a multi-stakeholder approach to maximise the benefit and contribution of the docks and surrounding area to the city."

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