Emergency services praised after Whitchurch canal breach

Firefighters have been praised for their quick thinking after a serious breach saw a canal drain in Whitchurch.

Several narrowboats were left stranded when a 50mx50m hole opened up on the canal in the early hours of Friday morning.

Nobody was seriously injured, however several narrowboat residents were being moved into temporary accommodation until their homes can be recovered.

Further flooding and damage was prevented thanks to firefighters' quick use of a water gate and barge boards.

Helen Morgan MP joined emergency services and councillors at the scene to see the scale of the damage and speak to affected residents on Friday.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were among the first at the site and were joined by teams from Shropshire Council, the Environment Agency, the Canal & River Trust, Severn Trent and others.

After attending a multi-agency briefing, Helen praised the effective emergency service response.

The North Shropshire MP said: “Our emergency services deserve a huge amount of praise for their rapid response to what was a very frightening incident for all involved.

“Thankfully nobody was badly hurt but some unfortunate narrowboat residents have been made homeless just a few days before Christmas.

“It’s clear both the damage and the flooding could have been far worse if it wasn’t for the quick-thinking actions of our excellent firefighters

“I will be staying in close contact with the Canal & River Trust and other agencies over the coming months as the recovery operation begins.”