Waterway halted as boat gets stuck

Photo: Vicky Newby

STUCK: the canal boat yesterday, pictured by Evening Chronicle reader Vicky Newby

Traffic on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was brought to a halt yesterday when a 60ft narrowboat got stuck between lock gates.

Veteran boatman John Lund, who has run his 70-ft pleasure boat Moonraker on the canal for 23 years, abandoned his own boat to help the stricken crew in Dobcross.

Despite a six-hour struggle by an emergency crew from the Canal and River Trust, the boat remained stuck at a steep angle. It was expected to be freed today.

John, who sacrificed a day’s trips to work on the rescue operation, said: “My priority is to help people. I had a call for help and dropped everything.”

A spokesman for The Canal and River Trust said: “Mr Lund notified us of the incident. At times like this the waterway community really pulls together, which is great to see.

“The boat was caught on an underwater ledge that the top, smaller gates in the lock sit on. The front end took on water. We have had a team helping to pump out water to refloat the boat.

“It’s rare for boats to get caught on the cill and there are lines painted on the lockside to help boaters avoid them. Thankfully no one was injured.”

David Wheeler (51), a civil servant from Greenfield, who witness the incident, said: “It was a very dramatic scene.

“The boat finished up pointing downwards at a sharp angle into the water. But no one was hurt.”