Specialist spider excavator plays key role in Whitchurch Canal boat rescue

The complex recovery of stranded narrowboats following the December collapse of the Llangollen Canal near Whitchurch has been supported by the deployment of a specialist spider excavator, enabling safe access to a highly unstable site. The canal breach released millions of gallons of water into surrounding farmland, creating a deep void that trapped two boats and left another precariously suspended at the edge of the failure.

The recovery operation is being coordinated by the Canal & River Trust, with a focus on safely extracting the vessels while managing slope stability and saturated ground conditions.

Access to the breach proved particularly challenging due to soft, waterlogged sand, uneven ground levels, and weakened embankment edges. To address these constraints, a customised spider excavator supplied by WM Plant Hire was deployed. The machine, often described as “transformer-like”, is capable of independently adjusting its four legs to maintain stability while reducing ground pressure on compromised terrain.

The excavator has been used to carefully remove silt and debris around the submerged boats and to construct a stable ramp, allowing controlled winching operations. Its ability to step over obstacles, operate on steep gradients, and perform precision excavation has reduced the need for extensive temporary access works, lowering both environmental impact and operational risk.

One vessel has already been successfully refloated, with preparations underway to recover the remaining boats before full reconstruction of the canal embankment begins. Repair works are expected to continue through much of 2026, with investigations into the cause of the breach still ongoing.