Sunday 12 January 2014

New Year high water on the River Kennet

It's a year to the day since this blog reported on high New Year water levels on the Kennet Navigation, and it would appear that history is repeating itself with bells on in 2014.  Local media reported on some record levels in Newbury earlier this week, but whilst the Environment Agency's gauges show a falling off over the last 48 hours, conditions on the lower reach have given cause for the Canal & River Trust to recommend against navigation between Copse Lock in Newbury and County Lock in Reading until further notice.  Riverine sections of the Kennet should be given similar consideration.

Victoria Sluices, Newbury, with the normally exposed left bank concrete side bars covered.
 
Footpath closure at Bulls Lock swing bridge.

Submerged work flat barge upstream of Bulls Lock swing bridge.

Below Bulls Lock, the footbridge over the confluence with the riverine Hambridge detour has limited headroom at this level of water.

Upstream of Padworth Road Bridge...

 ...and downstream, with water in the fields showing where the river has breached.

The River Kennet adjacent to Padworth Lane.

The canal cut and river below Tyle Mill.

Debris caught on Sulhamstead Weir footbridge.  Note that whilst sometimes negotiable, there is currently insufficient headroom under the bridge.

The canal cut below Sulhamstead Weir has a couple of breaches which are filling the fields to the right.
 
Barbel Bar is just about all washed out, but was providing the venue for a Flood First Responder training course for Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue today.

Full flow under Burghfield Bridge.

Floodwater in the fields beyond the Navigation past Southcote Weir.
 
Haven't been down here for a while: Southcote weir with a new(ish?) barrage.

The wier pool below Southcote Weir #1.
 
The weir pool below Southcote Weir #2.