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A weak point has been identified in the bank of the Basingstoke Canal between Chequers Bridge, Crookham Village and Double Bridge, Dogmersfield. Remedial action was started on site on 1 March 2010. The section between the two bridges will be drained and repairs made to the weak section. A warning letter has been sent by HCC to all householders that could be affected if the canal should breach in this area. See HERE. See the HCC web site HERE. See also the Basingstoke Canal we site HERE. View the news and navigation pages. Information about progress will be added below as available. |
Canal Re-opens through Crookham Village on 11 June 2010
Repair complete 11 June 2010   
Chequers Bridge open again for canal traffic The West Hart embankment repairs have now been completed and the Hampshire section is now fully navigable. In order to safegaurd water levels in Hampshire, Ash lock will only be open between 9am to 5pm. There is still some work left to do on site but this will not interfere with navigation or use of the towpath. Please be aware that the Crookham Wharf and the car park area still remains off limits with the enclosed site works compound in place. Please do not moor up or try to alight there until the site is cleared in the next week or so. As stated in previous updates there is as usually expected at this time of year, less water being supplied to the Surrey part of the canal, BCA rangers are doing all that they can to maintain navigable water levels on the Mytchett Pound and below the Deepcut Flight of Locks into the rest of Surrey. Please note, back-pumping and recycling of water is a costly affair and the BCA policy is to use only when necessary and urgent circumstances require action, when the Flight of Locks are being navigated and or when the House Boats are at risk. Dean Wall |
 Remedial work in progress 17 May 2010 |
From the Canal Director 14 May 2010 The repair to the West Hart
Embankment remains on schedule! [ Start date 26th April - Finish date 12th June
]
Water levels are being
monitored and managed on a day to day basis for the whole canal by the BCA duty
rangers. Water level on the isolated (dammed off) section of the West Hart
Embankment is currently being maintained at a reduced level to facilitate a seal
and anchor trench that has been excavated and completed this week in preparation
for installation of the final bank protection system next week. Good quality
blue clay has been used to strengthen the bank and infill the
trench.
Ash Lock remains closed to
navigation and will not reopen until the repair work is completed or water
starts to go over the Farnborough Road Weir. This is to conserve water on the
Hampshire (Fleet) Pound and maintain the alkaline gradient through into Surrey
where the water is more acidic.
Inevitably less water is now
being supplied to the Surrey part of the canal, BCA rangers are doing all that
they can to maintain reasonable water levels on the Mytchett Pound and below the
Deepcut Flight of Locks. The Woking Pound is slightly down, the Woodham Flight
of Locks where the House Boats are, will be maintained in accordance with Surrey
County Council policy under the tenancy agreement and in line with abstraction
conditions as part of the licence consent with the Environment Agency.
[Environment Act 1995 and Water Resources Act 1991]
Please note, back-pumping and recycling of water is a costly affair and the BCA policy is to use only when necessary and urgent circumstances require action, when the Flight of Locks are being navigated and or when the House Boats are at risk. Unfortunately, average rainfall is below that normally expected for this time of year and this is also having an effect on natural supply. |
From the Canal Director 7 May 2010 The repair to the West Hart Embankment remains on schedule! [Start date 26th April - Finish date 12th June] Water levels are being monitored and managed on a day to day basis for the whole canal by the BCA duty rangers. Water level on the isolated (dammed off) section of the West Hart Embankment is currently being maintained at a reduced level to facilitate a seal and anchor trench that has now been excavated in preparation for installation of the final bank protection system. Good quality blue clay has been sourced and delivered to site for strengthening the bank. Minimal vegetation clearance on the affected bank has been completed, this has removed all emergent shrubs and potential for root damage from the immediate bank side, allowing the effective installation of the geotextile membrane system. Ground disturbance is minimal and should not have any effect on fauna or flora. Two heavy duty silent running pumps are deployed to manage water levels in accordance with safety and the bank protection and repair process. The bank protection system being installed has been carefully chosen to conform with the industry standard, best practice, ecologically supportive and complies with the Conservation Management Objectives. This system allows for the quick regeneration of a healthy marginal vegetation and reed mace. All precautions necessary to prevent any contaminants entering the water system are in place and are under the direct control of the appointed contract project engineer and the county supervising engineer. All equipment and materials are carefully stored back at the compound site and maintained by the contractor in accordance with current regulations. Ash Lock remains closed to navigation and will not reopen until the repair work is completed. This is to conserve water on the Hampshire (Fleet) Pound and maintain the alkaline gradient through into Surrey where the water is more acidic. |
From the Canal Director 1 May 2010 Dean & Dyball our appointed principal civil engineering contractor has taken over the Crookham Warf (Chequers) car park and set up its operations site compound. Plant, equipment and materials for the repair process have been delivered to site and have been mobilised. Health and Safety regulations are in force and all appropriate risk assessments have or are being carried out before the initial bank repair work starts next week. A sectioned off towpath diversion for access around the site compound is in place. So far this carefully planned process is on schedule! [ Start date 26th April - Finish date 12th June ]. Water levels are being monitored and managed on a day to day basis for the whole canal by the BCA duty rangers. The isolated (dammed off) section of the West Hart Embankment is at the request of the contractor being raised to near optimum working level, so that equipment and clay can easily be mobilised on the water from the site compound. Vegetation clearance on the affected bank has been undertaken and next week a seal and anchor trench will be excavated in preparation for installation of the final bank protection system. Two heavy duty silent running pumps have now been deployed to manage water levels in accordance with the bank protection and repair process at the immediate site. The bank protection system being installed has been carefully chosen to conform with the industry standard, best practice, ecologically supportive and complies with the Conservation Management Objectives. Ash Lock is now closed to navigation and will not reopen until the repair work is completed. This is to conserve water on the Hampshire (Fleet) Pound. I have had an update report on Coxheath Road and Pedestrian Foot Bridge from Hampshire County Highways Engineers and this is good news, in that they plan a repair this year and this will not stop navigation. In the mean time the bridge is rated safe for continued use. Ian M H Brown |
HCC Letter to affected householders dated 12 March 2010 Dear Householder, On 27th February Hampshire County Council contacted you to alert you to the condition of the West Hart Embankment on the Basingstoke Canal. At the time, an extreme weather warning was in place for the following day which raised the risk of this section of the canal bank being breached, with the possibility of flooding of the adjacent land and properties. Urgent action was taken at the time to reduce the risk of this occurrence. The bridges at Crookham Wharf and Double Bridge on Dogmersfield Lane have been dammed with ‘Stop’ planks and sand bags in order to isolate this section and to allow the level of the canal to be lowered. These dams are now in place and working well and the water level is being dropped - thereby greatly reducing any risk of flooding. Major repair work to this section of the canal has now been brought forward and will begin soon to ensure that the embankment is made thoroughly secure before water levels are returned to normal. If you have any questions or concerns about this work please do contact the Basingstoke Canal Authority at Mytchett on 01252 370073. On behalf of Hampshire County Council I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding and to apologise for any disruption these events may have caused you. Yours sincerely, Andy Smith |
Wed 10/03/2010 17:08 from HCC Update - Wednesday 10 March Reassuringly, the inspection of the section of embankment in question revealed that there was no water emerging through the surface of the bank. This indicates that the leaks are limited to the side of the canal rather than the bed. This being the case, repair works will be considerably easier to manage and ought to be possible without fully draining this section of canal. Further work is now being undertaken on the specification and the extent of the works needed. Although it is not possible to give a clear intended start or finish date at the moment, the contractors are in a position to commence work as soon as these preliminaries have been completed. The Canal Authority will be updating the Canal User Forum members and other interested parties. An update letter will be sent tomorrow to all those residents who received the initial notification of the flood risk. |
Mon 8/3/2010 15:50 from Canal Authority West Hart Embankment - Crookham The reason for damming was to immediately isolate the section affected by potential breach of the bank by putting in place a physical dam that would stop the uncontrollable flow of water from the summit pound upstream of Double Bridge and down stream of Crookham Wharf (Chequers) Bridge if the bank was to breach. In doing this the BCA are now in control of water levels that would be a major problem if more adverse or exceptional weather was to occur in the run up to a final repair solution. The way this dam is constructed and installed was carried out so that it can be later used by contractors who will carry out the final remedial repair to the leaking canal bed and bank. The BCA are aware this action has caused concern to local residents and dismay to boaters who in certain cases depend on the waterway and its navigable function for their livelihoods, this must be balanced with the urgency to take control over a huge volume of water that could flood a large area causing substantial damage to land and property as well as disrupting utility support services. Hampshire County Council and the BCA are now working at speed to make it possible for the final repair using a suitable contractor who will have the appropriate equipment and resources. The BCA canal rangers will now constantly monitor and carefully balance the water levels using established procedures that allow control over any of the above circumstances and activity during the repair period. It is the BCA intention to maintain optimal levels on the summit pound and where possible down stream of the isolated section, so that normal recreation enjoyment (boating) of the canal may carry on. The County Council realises that this will have a disastrous effect on the navigable commercial and recreational use of the canal but must act in accordance with its duty of care to the whole community. We shall attempt to get the damaged bank totally repaired as quickly as possible using the most appropriate specialists and drawing from the engineering expertise that we now have at our disposal. At this stage a set time frame for this work is not possible, suffice it to say that we will act with speed, safe practice and use all the resources that are necessary to get the job done. Importantly, the immediate risk of flooding has been considerably reduced and controlled. |
Wed 03/03/2010 18:08 from HCC Today the team completed the immediate work of closing off the affected section of the Canal. Stop planks and sand bags are in position at both bridges and water is slowly being pumped from this section of the Canal downstream. As water is drained the team will continue to regularly monitor water levels and equipment and steps will be taken to rescue the fish from this length of the canal in the next few days. Ian Brown and the BCA team have done a terrific job over the last few days working both night and day to try and ensure the canal is secure. A longer term solution can now be devised and managed by a principal contractor, allowing the ranger team to resume normal duties including other pressing issues along the length of the Canal. Within the next few days we intend to write to the residents that were contacted at the weekend to let them know the measures that have been taken. |
Tue 02/03/2010 18:08 from HCC Good progress has been made today. Both sets of stop planks are now in position and water is being pumped downstream from Crookham Wharf Bridge. One tonne sand bags have been installed at the Crookham Wharf Bridge and this work should be finished within the hour. Tomorrow the team will be installing the sand bags at Double Bridge to reinforce the dam there. Inspections of the bank, water levels and equipment will continue to be made regularly with inspections being made by the team during the night. Road closures are in place to enable the crane to access the bridges. This has caused some disruption and I understand there have been some complaints locally. The team are doing their best to minimise disruption but they also need to make sure they do a thoroughly effective job. On the 10 March there is a meeting with the Engineering Consultancy and specialist geotechnical engineers to draft the plans for the longer solution to the problem that has been identified at this location. |
Mon 01/03/2010 17:46 from HCC Work has started today as planned, although, due to the availability of the necessary lifting gear, we haven't been able to get as far as hoped. One set of planks has been installed at the Crookham Wharf Bridge. The other set at Double Bridge needs to be reinforced with one tonne sand bags. These bags have to be lifted into place from the bridge and this requires a crane. The soonest a crane can be on site is midday Tuesday. Therefore, the damming of this section of the canal is planned to continue tomorrow and should be completed by the end of the afternoon. Pumps will then begin to drain this section. In the meantime the bank will continue to be monitored, although, given the improvement in the weather conditions and the good forecast, the inspections will now be undertaken at 4hourly intervals. |
Sat 27/02/2010 19:21 from HCC We have 3 Canal Rangers stationed on site now and overnight in a camper van. They will be making hourly inspections of the bank. The levels are currently stable and there has been no visible change in state of the bank. Canal staff have again taken steps to reduce levels as much as it is safe to do. We are not currently aware of any media follow up of the letters to residents. The Canal Director and colleagues will make a thorough site inspection early tomorrow. If the condition has changed and the bank stability has deteriorated to an emergency situation, the Canal team, with the support of the highway contractors Amey, are in a position to install stop planks - having sourced and sized suitable timber. Given the very poor forecast for the next 24hours the team are also mindful of the potential for problems elsewhere on the Canal and would not wish to undertake work at West Hart which could exacerbate problems elsewhere - it therefore may be safer to do this work on Monday as planned, although a decision will be made in the morning. The Canal team are, as usual, on standby to respond to Environment Agency warnings or changes in the situation in accordance with the Emergency Plan. |
