Boat lift U-turn sparks anger as operator scraps lengthy ‘essential’ redesign plans

Boat lift U-turn sparks anger as operator scraps lengthy 'essential' redesign plans

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The lift, which allow boats to pass between the River Weaver and the Trent & Mersey Canal, has been closed since January last year after a cable on one of its gates failed during routine maintenance.

Following the failure, CRT said it was not possible to reopen the lift with its current gate mechanism.

Instead, it has spent the last 18 months exploring what it called ‘a more modern, robust, and safer lifting system, making the lift more reliable’.

According to CRT, developing a new lift gate mechanism would cost in the region of £2 million, and it would mean the lift could only open partially, no sooner than May 2027.

The decision was widely denounced by waterways campaign groups, including the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), which believes replacing the gate lifting cable with a stronger one is the sensible solution.

IWA, which represents boaters and boat businesses, says the lift is much more than a tourist attraction, and simply getting it working again must be the priority.

“It is a vital connection between the Weaver and the wider canal network, and stranded boat dwellers and boat businesses are suffering as a result,” its spokesman said.

Anderton Boat Lift operators, Canal and River Trust, say it is wrong to claim a simple solution was available from the start (Image: CRT)

In a new development on Wednesday, August 12, CRT announced it has now scrapped all its ideas for a new lift gate mechanism.

Instead, it is now committed to a system ‘based more closely on the existing cable system’.

Jim Forkin, chairman of the Inland Waterways Association’s (IWA) Chester and Merseyside branch, described the U-turn as ‘shameful’, adding: “This is exactly what IWA and many other bodies told them to do in early 2025.

“What they called their ‘robust and reliable lifting mechanism’ has now been shelved, and they are going back to a cable system.

“CRT have wasted 18 months of the lift being closed and are only a little further forward than they were on January 3, 2025.

“Yet, the date for reopening one caisson remains May 2027, which is still nine months away.”

CRT says IWA’s claim a simple solution was available from the outset ‘overlooks the complexity of managing a historic asset of this significance’.

CRT regional director Jon Horsfall said: “Since it was unexpectedly taken out of operation, we’ve undertaken extensive investigations and engineering work to understand the cause of the failure and identify a safe, reliable and sustainable solution.

“While that process has taken longer than hoped, it has been essential to ensure any repair can meet modern safety standards while respecting the lift’s historic significance.

“We recognise the frustration caused by the closure of the Anderton Boat Lift and the impact this has had on boaters and local businesses.

“However, safety must always be our overriding priority.

“As custodians of a unique Victorian structure, we have a responsibility to ensure it meets modern safety requirements and remains fit for the future.

“We carefully assessed a range of options, taking specialist engineering advice to identify a solution which is safe, proportionate, and represents the best use of charitable resources.

“Decisions have been made based on the information, engineering assessments, and safety requirements available at the time.

“Our focus throughout has been on ensuring the lift can return to operation safely and reliably for the long term.

“We continue to make progress, and our intention remains to reopen one of the lift's caissons early next year.

This will restore navigation and ensure the highest standards of safety for visitors, boaters, and our colleagues.”

CRT say an open day will be held at Anderton this autumn, giving boaters, visitors and local communities an opportunity to hear about progress, the engineering challenges involved, and the plans being developed for the lift’s long-term future.

A date will be announced once the testing programme has been finalised.