Caledonian Prepares For New Season With Towpath Tidy

31 March 2007

1.7 Tonnes of rubbish cleared at Corpach

New season preparations on the Caledonian Canal were boosted recently when 1.7 tonnes of litter were removed from the towpath at Corpach by an army of volunteers during a litter-picking campaign led by British Waterways.

52 volunteers, including British Waterways staff, members of the public, pupils from Banavie School , the Coastguard, the Co-op and Kilmallie Community Council, armed themselves with litter pickers and bin bags to help spring clean the stretch towpath near Fort William as part of the UK wide Towpath Tidy campaign.

The event, which was held on Thursday 22 nd March not only helped improve the appearance of the canal for the new season but also brought important wildlife benefits.

Rubbish and litter left behind by the 300 million visitors each year to British Waterways' canals and rivers can be harmful to a wonderful array of waterway wildlife.

During Towpath Tidy , the volunteers joined forces with British Waterways staff to clear litter, jet wash the removal of unsightly graffiti as well as making minor repairs to bridges, fences and other canal structures.

The work undertaken by the volunteers adds to the clean-up operations already undertaken by British Waterways which spends over £100 million each year maintaining and improving the nation's waterways. British Waterways work includes dredging the channel of the canal, repairs to heritage buildings and bridges, lock gate renewals, cutting back trees and maintaining towpaths.

Russell Thomson , Manager, Highland Canals at British Waterways Scotland said: "The waterways are a valuable community resource that we must all look after. The support we received from the volunteers provided a real boost for the waterways before the start of the main visitor season at Easter."

For further information about waterway wildlife and enjoying Britain's canals and rivers visit www.waterscape.com.

Ends

Issued on behalf of British Waterways Scotland by Wave PR. For more information contact Chris Bell or Alison Jack on 0141 303 8390.

Notes to Editors

British Waterways cares for and maintains the nation's 2,000 mile network of canals and inland waterways, working in partnership with private companies, local authorities, voluntary groups and other government agencies to protect and enhance the waterways and benefit the communities through which they run.

British Waterways Scotland

Responsibility for inland waterways in Scotland is a devolved matter, with funding for British Waterways' Scottish activities coming from the Scottish Executive. In Scotland the 137 mile (220km) canal network includes the Caledonian, Crinan, Forth & Clyde, Union and Monkland canals.

British Waterways Scotland works in partnerships with local authorities, voluntary groups, private companies and other government agencies to protect and enhance the waterways and benefit the communities through which they run.

The organisation balances the conservation of the country's heritage and environment with developing commercial opportunities to generate income to reinvest in the waterways for further sustainable regeneration.