Canal boats trapped in lock at Seend

Two canal boats became trapped side by side in a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Seend this month, blocking the waterway for four days.

The incident occurred at lock 19, near the Barge Inn, on Friday 9th October. The boats were successfully removed on 13th October, freeing up the waterway.

The Canal and River Trust said it could not pinpoint exactly how the incident occurred, and a regional representative added that they had never seen an incident like this before.

A spokesperson for the Canal and River Trust said, “From the looks of it from the photos that we had been sent, it looks like either the front or the back of both the boats got caught on the lock gates, and when they raised the water levels, it looks like the front of the boats got stuck on the lock somehow, so when the water levels went down, it caused the boats to be at an angle and not go down with the water level. It doesn’t look like there is any damage to the locks themselves.”

Pictured: The trapped canal boats