Lichfield Canal’s ‘impassable’ footpath to be restored

"Lichfield Canal"

Part of the restored Lichfield Canal, locks 25 and 26 (Image taken from Wikipedia)

An old footpath alongside Lichfield Canal, long described as “impassable”, is set to be brought back into use in the coming days.

As part of the ongoing work to restore the Lichfield Canal, the footpath is set to be cleared this weekend along with the canal’s channel. The work will be undertaken by the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust and the Waterway Recovery Group.

Mervyn Ainge, spokesman for the Trust, said:

“The footpath has been overgrown and impassable for many years, and when the Lichfield Canal is restored and back in water it will form part of the towpath.”

The restoration of Lichfield Canal was first mooted in 1975, but only began in 1990 after the Trust had been formed. The work was briefly threatened by the construction of the M6 Toll, until a funding appeal saw £450,000 raised for the construction of an aqueduct.

The first part of the restored canal to be filled with water was the stretch between locks 25 and 26, which was completed in April 2011.

For more information on the restoration of Lichfield Canal, visit the Trust’s site at http://www.lhcrt.org.uk/lich.htm.

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