A number of boats have been partially submerged in the River Avon after the water level suddenly dropped, with emergency services on scene assisting members of the public.
Photo © Bath Echo
The stretch of water near Locksbrook Road in Bath has dropped enough that some boats that were moored along the riverbank are now either stranded on the mud or have tipped into the water.
Monitoring data suggests the water level went down by around 1.8m between 5pm and 6.30pm.
Photo © Bath Echo
Crews from Avon Fire & Rescue are at the scene with their specialist water rescue unit, and are working to stabilise the boats.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Canal & River Trust said: “The Canal & River Trust, and emergency services were on site to help as soon as we were made aware of the situation, [and] we closed the waterway between locks 6 and 7 and, at 7pm.”
A message on the Canal & River Trust website reads: “Please be advised that due to mechanical failure of the Environment Agency sluice gates at Twerton the water levels between lock 6, Weston Lock and Lock 7, Bath Bottom Lock are currently dropping rapidly.
“The Environment Agency have been informed and their engineers are on [the] way to [the] site however we are advising customers not to navigate. The emergency services are in attendance.
“If you are in immediate danger please contact 999.”
The water level has dropped significantly | Photo © Bath Echo
The dramatic river level drop has been caused by another failure of the sluice gates in Twerton.
The latest incident follows a similar failure in October 2019, which left a number of boats stranded in the water.
Photo © Bath Echo
We’ve reached out to the Environment Agency and Avon Fire & Rescue Service for more information and will update this story when we know more.
