Exclusive:Leeds Liverpool Canal users call for maintenance work as closure exposes 'soul destroying' condition

The waterway remains closed and is currently dried up in large stretches following one of the driest springs on record and multiple heatwaves throughout the summer.

Those whose boats are currently moored up at Granary Wharf behind the train station expressed their frustration over the lack of maintenance work that has being carried out while the canal has been closed and also raised concern over the future of the historic watercourse.

Cyclists and walkers who utilise the picturesque route also shared their dismay at seeing the canal dried up and overgrown with weeds, with one person saying it was “soul destroying”.

The Canal and River Trust, which operates and maintains the canal said last week that it will remain closed until there has been sufficient rainfall. It has also said that it has been “bringing forward” maintenance work where possible and that teams were “working day in day out and against the odds to manage water levels”.

All locks along the canal were closed at the start of July by the Canal and River Trust; with the charity urging those living on boats to find somewhere suitable to moor up.

Some of those at Granary Wharf, which marks the start of the canal where it meets the River Aire, have been in the same spot for two months as they await the reopening towards Skipton.

And though they would have liked to have been able to move elsewhere, a common theme among those on the boats was how content they were with the canal boat lifestyle.

Karen Pettigrew, 58, only swapped her home in Scotland for a canal boat in Doncaster in April but said she “loves it”.

She ventured to Leeds last week, which was her first time travelling on the boat having stayed moored up during the “exceptional spring and summer”.

“There’s a lot of people I have met in Doncaster who wanted to come up here to travel this summer and couldn’t”, she said. “There’s some who have been doing this for years who’ve said that they’ve never seen the canals as bad as this.”

Miss Pettigrew also highlighted that many are wondering why dredging work hasn’t been carried out while the canal has been closed to remove the overgrown weeds and rubbish along the route.

She said: “Even when the waterways open back up again the first boats to go through it are going to be destroyed by the weeds.”

John Bailey, who has been living on a canal boat with his partner and dog for the last five years, accompanied Miss Pettigrew on the trip to Leeds from Doncaster.

He, too, said he loved the lifestyle, which he had turned to after running a business for 30 years. He said: “It’s fantastic. It’s completely stress-free.

“I have travelled all over the world and now if someone says let’s fly somewhere I’m not bothered. You see a different side to England on the canals. It’s stunning.”

Mr Bailey said that the closure of the canal shouldn’t just be put down to the weather but also a lack of maintenance, which in turn has been brought about by a lack of funding for the Canal & River Trust.

He said: “They don’t get any money anymore and it results in very little repairs and maintenance. They are on a downward spiral.

“The locks are wasting so much water when they’re in use. They’re spitting out water all over the place.”

The trust launched its #KeepCanalsAlive campaign last year after the government announced a “steep reduction” in its funding of over £300 million in real terms over ten years.

When launching the campaign it said that the reduction would “inevitably result in a decline in the overall condition of our network, and, alarmingly, the possibility of canal closures”.

Mr Bailey said that in the last five years he has seen a “steady decline” in maintenance, adding: “It’s a shame seeing it get to this state. It’s a part of our heritage and history.”

He added that the issues are not just limited to Yorkshire but are being seen on the canal network throughout the UK, adding: “It’s sad to see. We are getting to the point where the government could have to step in.”

Mr Bailey also pointed to the lack of maintenance of the country’s reservoirs that feed the canals, saying: “It’s a nasty mix.”

Sarah O’Neill was also in chirpy spirits despite having been forced to be moored in Leeds for two months, saying: “I’ve had two years on the boat and last summer was full of rain so I’m not complaining about the sunshine.

“The boat life shows you that you can’t predict anything.”

She also highlighted the “empty” reservoirs as a core reason for the closure of the canals, saying that the private companies responsible for them should be held more accountable.

Miss O’Neill said: “The Canal and River Trust are a charity so it’s very different to the water companies.”

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A spokesperson for the Canal & River Trust said: “Our canal network is feeling the effects of one of the driest springs on record and several heatwaves already this summer. The rain we’ve seen is a great start and we’re hoping for further steady rainfall over several weeks to top up water levels to get the canal back open for boating. We are monitoring the situation daily and encourage boaters to check our website for latest updates.

“Where possible our charity is bringing forward maintenance works while navigation closures are in place. This summer we completed a six-week programme of repairs at Oddy Locks on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal near the city centre. On-the-ground teams are also working day in day out and against the odds to manage water levels - manually operating pumps, sealing up lock gates with ash, putting in stop planks, making ‘quick win’ leak repairs, checking flow gauges, and keeping feeders clear.

"Our statutory reservoir works ensure that these centuries old canal-feeding reservoirs are still available to supply the canals with water in the years ahead. Within Yorkshire we have carried out upgrades to Harthill Reservoir and Winterburn Reservoir in recent years, with work due to commence at Slaithwaite Reservoir later this month.

"Built by hand over 200 years ago, our canal network is a national treasure that require millions of pounds and constant year-round maintenance. Our charity does this on behalf of the nation and requires people to support us, providing donations and by volunteering. Support from government is continuing but is also continuing to reduce in the years ahead.”