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New lock gates fitted in major canal works

Adele WilkinsonLeicester
News imageCanal and River Trust Image shows two brand new lock gates closed in place after being replaced. There is a workman standing with his back to camera as if he's about to push the lock gates open to test them. He is wearing a yellow florescent jacket and bright orange helmet and black trousers. Beyond the gates is the next set of gates further down, and there is no water currently in this part of the canal. There are old 200-year-old walls either side of the gates and rest of canal. In ground level above the gates, is yellow metal fencing where the rest of the equipment is stored. Canal and River Trust
Two brand-new lock gates have been installed at Gees Lock

New lock gates have been lifted into the canal near Glen Parva as part of vital conservation work on canals in Leicestershire.

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has installed the gates at Gees Lock, with further works also taking place at Gas Pipe Lock and Pywells Lock near Fleckney.

The gates are replaced every 25 years once they reach the end of their lifespan, and teams are also working to restore brickwork within the locks.

The works at the locks form part of a £1.3 million programme of repairs taking place at various waterways across the East Midlands.

News imageCanal and River Trust Image shows the right new-look gate being lifted into the air by a small crane and held up by two workmen as it is put in place.Canal and River Trust
The gates are specially crafted in the Canal and River Trust's two main workshops

The project at Gees Lock has been made possible due to funds raised from players of the People's Postcode Lottery, which has enabled the lock gates there to be replaced with new ones.

Each of the gates are individually designed and hand-built at one of the CRT's two specialist workshops.

The gates are built using traditional techniques by skilled craftspeople.

Stewart Lee, site supervisor at Gees Lock for the CRT, said: "With this particular lock, because of its remote location, we are replacing the bottom set and top set of lock gates, so it's quite a big job.

"We've had to split the job into two, so phase one was the top gates and phase two was the bottom gates."

News imageImage shows Stewart Lee standing in front of the canal where the new lock gate is attached to a crane and yet to be lifted. Stewart is slightly to the left and wearing a yellow florescent jacket, with a black fleece underneath. He's wearing a black winter hat with a white helmet on top and is wearing see through protection goggles. Behind him is the red crane arm which is attached by chains to the top of the brand new lock gate which is currently against the canal wall, waiting to be lifted into place. There is metal yellow fencing on the right hand side of the canal wall, above the canal where equipment is being stored.
Stewart Lee said it was a two-day job to get materials over to the site and back by boat

Lee said a job like this normally took eight weeks, but because this job was a bigger one and there was limited space in the area, this one had taken a little longer than normal.

He added: "The weather hasn't helped, because we've been flooded, and it's a day's travel to get to the yard to get materials.

"Everything on site has come by boat, as there's no vehicle access, so the only way to get plant, machinery and equipment to site is via the waterways.

"So it's a day's travel to where we've got to go, load up and then it's another day's travel to come back to unload, and we can only take so much."

News imageImage shows Stephen Hardy standing slightly to the right of the camera. He is wearing a bright yellow florescent jacket, which says Canal and River Trust on it on the right hand side. On the left hand side of the jacket it says Work Together - Work Safely. Underneath his jacket he is wearing a black fleece. Behind him are some trees on the right, but on the left is a metal yellow fence which overlooks the canal. The crane arm can be seen on the left and is chained up to the new gate. A workman wearing an orange florescent jacket, white helmet and black trousers and boots is standing behind the yellow metal gate looking down at the works below him.
Stephen Hardy said the locks were inspected regularly so potential replacements could be planned in advance

Communications manager for the CRT, Stephen Hardy, said the replacement of lock gates was part of an annual winter maintenance programme when there were fewer boats around.

He added: "The lock gates typically last around 25 years, they're made of oak and they're constantly getting wet and dry as the lock is used, and our expert teams are inspecting them regularly.

"They'll draw up a programme of which gates need replacing next winter, and they're handmade in our own workshops."

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