A leaking canal bank has been fixed after the neighbouring Countess of Chester Country Park became so saturated Parkrun organisers had to abandon their usual course.
The Canal & River Trust has now carried out repairs at the Shropshire Union Canal by inserting interlocking sheet steel piles backed in puddle clay.
It became clear all was not well when a sink hole appeared in the towpath but a wider area was affected.
Andy Scargill, from The Friends of Countess Country Park, said: “The Parkrun organisers have been unable to use the normal course for months because of the water leaking out of the canal onto the field below – part of the country park and owned by the Land Trust.”
He praised the Canal & River Trust for taking prompt action after being told by contractors the consistency of the surrounding soil was so sodden it had the consistency of ‘Angel Delight’.
Mr Scargill, who lives in Parkgate Road, continued: “It seems to me that if the material in the bank has the consistency of ‘Angel Delight’ then it could have popped open at any time. This would have caused water to rush into Finchett’s Gutter and all the way down to the Mercedes Roundabout and then on down to Glenesk.”
Canal & River Trust spokeswoman Helen Hall said in a statement: “We have noticed seepage at this location on the Shropshire Union Canal and our engineers have been monitoring for any changes. Recently following inspections, we have noticed that the towpath has started to subside at the back.
"Working with our delivery team, we have moved our programmed works to allow us to carry out sheet piling to stop any further deterioration or damage at this location.”
