Safety checks complete on longest canal tunnel

Detailed safety inspections of the UK's longest canal tunnel have been completed, to allow seasonal boat tours to resume.

Experts from the Canal & River Trust have been checking Standedge Tunnel, which runs 3.5 miles (5.6km) under the Pennines between Marsden, in West Yorkshire, and Diggle, in Greater Manchester.

The work marks 25 years since the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was restored and reopened - having been closed to navigation since 1944.

Jonathan Muir, principal tunnel inspector for the Canal & River Trust, said: "It's incredible to think this was dug by hand using pickaxes over 200 years ago."

Standedge Tunnel is the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in the country.

Completed in 1811 after 17 years of hand‑digging, it was built to allow goods to move beneath the Pennines during the canal boom of the early 19th Century.

The tunnel remains fully operational, with staff and volunteers chaperoning private boats that travel through it.

Muir added: "I've journeyed through the tunnel many times, and I'm still in awe at how remarkable it is."

It sits alongside three railway tunnels under Pule Hill, one of which was closed earlier this year after a maintenance vehicle caught fire.

During the recent inspection, specialists have used poles, hammers and spikes to assess exposed rock and the mortar lining, tapping the surface to check for any damage or wear.

Seasonal 30-minute "discovery" boat trips are now running through the tunnel again.

Catherine Clayton, area operations manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: "Guided trips through Standedge Tunnel, whether by boat or canoe, allow visitors to experience this incredible piece of engineering up close while supporting our charity."

Full two‑hour tours are due to begin on 26 April and dates for canoe trips will be announced later.

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