A lock paddle left open overnight on the Kennet Avon, which caused flooding and towpath bank washouts down the Caen Hill Flight, has left the Canal River Trust with a repair bill expected to top ￡100,000 - and, in combination with other stoppages, this has shut the canal as a through-route until March. The problem involved a paddle at the top lock - which holds back a huge amount of watei in the 15-mile-long pound, and "really couldn't have happened at a worse spot", in the words oi Waterway Manager Mark Evans. He added that "We don't know if this was carelessness or deliberate vandalism". Repairs began on 3 November, with work expected to take four weeks. However, in the meantime, a scheduled stoppage at Seend Wharf Bridge has had to be brought forward to run through from 23 November to 11 March as a result of its worsening condition. A short temporary opening of Caen Hill on 18 November was scheduled to allow boats to pass first.
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