Home / Disasters and Accidents / Canal Breach Swallows Boats in Shropshire Sinkhole
Canal Breach Swallows Boats in Shropshire Sinkhole
23 Dec, 2025
Summary
- A 160ft wide canal breach caused a sinkhole that swallowed two narrowboats.
- A man escaped his sinking boat by jumping as it was being pulled into the hole.
- Fifteen residents were evacuated, and seven boats were left stranded in the dry canal.
A significant canal breach occurred on the Llangollen Canal in Shropshire early Monday morning, creating a 160ft wide sinkhole that submerged two narrowboats and left another teetering on the edge. Fifteen residents were evacuated, and seven boats were left exposed as the canal drained.
One heroic narrowboat owner, Ben Wood, 75, described being woken by his vessel being sucked into the hole. He managed to jump to safety just as his boat began to descend rapidly. He then alerted his neighbors, who also managed to escape before their boats were lost.
The Canal and River Trust has confirmed the event was a breach, not a sinkhole, and described the necessary repairs as a "huge and likely lengthy task." The incident is being compared to a similar breach on the Bridgwater Canal in January, highlighting the rare but severe nature of such events.
