HEAVY rainfall has brought a temporary halt to repairs at the storm-damaged Stainton Aqueduct on the Lancaster Canal.

The Canal and River Trust said they had been struggling to manage water levels coming down the beck. Contractors are not expected back on site until mid-March.

The next phase of repairs requires a spell of dry weather and involves installing a reinforced concrete apron in the bed of the beck as a foundation for rebuilding the aqueduct's downstream section.

Contractors have been on site since August carrying out repairs to the 200-year-old structure after it was badly damaged during Storms Desmond and Eva in 2015.

Graham Ramsden, the trust's project manager, said: "We will be monitoring the situation and ensure our contractors will be back on site as quickly as possible but we anticipate this might not be until March."