As part of their vegetation management framework contract, Land & Water Services undertook maintenance works on specified watercourses in Chichester area.

There were two elements to this contract, the light vegetation clearance and the main riffe (man-made water conveyance channel) clearance. The cut regime specified by the contract documents takes into account habitat, sustainability and flood prevention and in this instance all materials were to be left above the high water line to compost. Hand cutting by a three man team completed the light vegetation work over a one month period.

The focus of the riffe clearance was on clearing vegetation material to create a central channel of approximately 4m in width.

Land and Water Services’ amphibious weed cutting boats or Truxors were employed for this aspect of the works. The Truxors are fully road transportable and were delivered by trailer to site where they tracked into the watercourse causing minimal disruption. Two boats operated in partnership, one cutting the vegetation, the other collecting cut material from the watercourse and placing it above the high water level. The Truxor work also took one month to complete.

An existing bridge which spans the River Derwent in Belper has contained a sewer within its structure since it was built in 1905.

This existing sewer was defective having corroded to an extent that is has lost most of its original flexural strength and was in need of replacement so Severn Trent decided to seal the existing sewage pipe and construct a new pipe running just outside the bridge deck, significantly extending the asset life of the sewerage system and reducing the risk of pollution to the River Derwent.

Land & Water Services were engaged to carry out the works which required the new pipework being lifted into position using a 30 tm knuckle boom crane mounted on a floating pontoon due to a weight restriction of 3 tonnes being placed upon the bridge.  In addition Land & Water carried out all the detailing of the works and fabricated and installed all the supporting bracketary. The works were completed to the full satisfaction of the client, ahead of schedule and to budget.

New head and tail gates were succesfully fitted to the lock chamber on Tuesday 13th December.

The Hargreaves team who built the gates, supported by the Land & Water site team and of course the Ellis Crane Hire crew, had all four gates in place by mid afternoon. Then the really hard work began… installing the gate cills, fitting the cheek timbers and connecting the paddle gear. This work continues.

Silt re-sited

The dredged silt, previously contained in a drainage lagoon within the site compound, has been transported to the prepared tipping area below the lock. 

This material will continue to dry before being landscaped to form an amenity area.

Using the dredgings to enhance the bridge site gives the project the best possible outcome in terms of environmental benefit and off-setting the scheme’s carbon footprint.

Volunteer Engineers

Cotswold Canals Trust Volunteers arrived on site on Friday and commenced installation of the ground paddle jack posts and gearing. In spite of the the extremes of weather experienced in recent days the site teams, professional and volunteers alike, have carried on with the job in hand.

Teetering on the Edge

Loose coping stones on the towpath edge above the lock were in danger of falling into the canal. The stones have been removed and reseated onto on a mortar bed. This work continues.

Read more at the Cotsworld Canal Trust