You wait for one dedger to work on the canal for years and then two turn up all at once. Yes, the big red one and the four wheeled little’un are a great team. The red one waits by the lorry bound for Vale INCO while the Batemag scoops up and delivers the silt to the other bank where the land-locked bigger brother gets it all into the lorry. The lorry then heads off and deposits it in the INCO yard.

In preparation for next week’s dredging north ofhe Old Highways Depot up to Coed Gwilym Park a butty cum hopper is in position ready to take silt. Three smaller butties are now also helping out south of the depot.

Most of the silt though is being placed on site behind the poles and Nikasam meshing banged in to take it. This will then be covered with coir matting impregnated with native seed so that the silt will become a growing compost for flora beneficial to wildlife on the canal. We thank ‘Land and Water’ for all their hard work in dredging the canal.