Stourbridge Canal

Stourbridge Canal

The Stourbridge Canal is currently closed south of the Stourbridge Town Arm to Stourton Junction because of a breach that occurred between 1.30 and 2.00 a.m. in the early hours of Sunday 7th September, between Middle Bridge and Wordsley Aqueduct, following heavy rain.  Just over a two mile length of canal was de-watered, with the loss of 65 mega-litres of water.  15 boats on the canal were grounded and a further 20 on the Stourbridge Town Arm.  The breach occurred at the highest point on an embankment, where it is approximately 50 foot above the river Stour, and has taken about 6 foot of the sandstone bedrock out from the bottom of the canal, it being unlined at this point.  The towpath is also closed at the breach.  Remedial works are expected to take about four months, but are currently being hampered by some local anti-social behaviour.  An annual inspection of the canal had been undertaken on 5th September, and no issues of concern had been raised.

The breach is reported locally to have been partly caused by the river Stour overflowing in Stourbridge, flooding a factory centre on the opposite side of the road from the present basin (i.e. where the canal arm originally terminated) and then running across the road (which is in a dip at this point and was then itself under several feet of water) into the canal.  The water then when down the arm and the, unable to go right because of bottom lock of the Stourbridge Flight, turned left at the junction with the main canal and then, picking up excess river water at the aqueduct, took the point of least resistance 200 to 300 yards further on from the aqueduct, near the site of a breach in the 1970s.  However, the exact cause is still being investigated. 

Pictures of the breach are available at www.flickr.com/photos/bobasonic/sets/72157607164898906/.