Cafe trade down 40% after Whitchurch canal collapse

The owner of a business on the Llangollen Canal says she is glad that the waterway is set to reopen in March after losing about 40% of their trade.

Part of the canal in Whitchurch has been shut since 22 December 2025, when a large section of the canal gave way, leaving two boats at the bottom of a huge trench and a third hanging over its edge.

Jane Beaumont, who runs the Lockside Cafe in Grindley Brook, said the drop in earnings was because boats are not passing by and people cannot walk along the canal path.

In an update, the Canal & River Trust said the canal was “expected to reopen ahead of Easter, allowing businesses and visitors to benefit from the start of the main boating and tourism season”.

It added that the work would be weather dependent, and it would provide updates on the work and anticipated opening date as the project progresses.

“[I’m] glad that it’ll hopefully be open for Easter, so businesses can start trading again and the boats will be along, people will be along, and everything will go with the flow,” Beaumont told the BBC.