Canal appeal to end so cash can be distributed

The organiser of a crowdfunding appeal, set up to help those affected by a canal breach three days before Christmas, has said it will close on Thursday.

Canal Youtuber Paul Smith-Storey said the GoFundMe page, which had reached £85,000 on Tuesday, would end so that cash raised could be distributed quickly.

He added that the proceeds would go solely to the owners of the two boats swept into the breach, and a third which was left teetering on the edge.

The breach occurred on the Llangollen Canal in Whitchurch, Shropshire, on 22 December, prompting emergency services to declare a major incident.

In a video on the Narrowboat Life Unlocked channel, which Mr Smith-Storey runs with partner Anthony, he said they had been in talks with the three boat owners about how to proceed.

"We don't want people thinking that we're going to be hanging on to that money. It's just much better if we can give that money out as soon as possible."

He continued: "Thank you so much, so close to Christmas... the cost of living is so much. That's what's blown us away with everyone's generosity."

He expected donations to close at midday on Thursday.

On Monday, in a Facebook post, the fundraisers had criticised "haters", who they said had accused them of "cashing in" on the story through monetised traffic to their video updates.

They said they had been vlogging about canal life for five years, and it would have been "ludicrous" not to have covered such a significant event "just 80 yards from our boat".

They added: "We have received hateful, personal comments amongst the boating community and beyond. This is just bullying, we have all been affected by this event. Just stop."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.