Lock work

I walked along to Dowley Gap Locks, which is a staircase of two locks on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, completed around 1773. Not surprisingly, these structures need an increasing amount of maintenance to keep them in working order. It was difficult to see into the locks themselves, but they have been drained. Those blue tarps are holding back the water at either end and there were big pumps and pipes leading down into the lock chambers. It appeared that there was some repair work going on to the walls on either side and I think they are replacing some of the lock gates too. These kinds of scheduled works are mostly done in winter time to minimise inconvenience to boaters and holiday makers. It may be completed by now, as the Canal and Rivers Trust schedule says the waterway would be closed until 27 February.