THE challenge of maintaining the nation’s 200-year-old canal network highlighted as the Canal & River Trust tackles a leak on the Lancaster Canal.

The trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of canals and navigable rivers across England and Wales, has responded immediately to the emergency and is now working seven days a week to fix the problem.

A leak was identified during the Trust’s weekly engineering inspection.

A 730 metre section of the canal was drained over the Lune Aqueduct, near Lancaster, early last week and engineers have now identified three holes in the clay-lined bed, about 100 metres south of the aqueduct.

These have caused water to seep down an embankment to a nature reserve at the base of the aqueduct.

A section of the nature reserve footpath has been closed until the water drains away.

Most fish were rescued as this section of canal was being drained and removed to safety either side of temporary dams.

To maintain water levels on the north of the aqueduct, water will be pumped around the drained section.

The trust’s customer service staff are contacting boaters and local businesses who may be affected by the canal closure.

The work to repair and reopen the canal to boats is likely to take until the end of July.