WORK to drain part of the Wilts and Berks Canal will begin next week.

A short section of canal will be drained to enable the next phase of the Wichelstowe development to go ahead.

The work will see a portion of the canal between the Foxham Way road bridge and the historic stone pedestrian bridge drained of its water.

It will allow contractors to install sewage pipes beneath the canal, build a concrete canal bank and install a three-metre wide footpath as part of the new Canalside development.

The work will begin on Monday, although contractors will not start removing water from the canal until the next week.

Thick black plastic has been left along the canal banks for the last few months to try and encourage nesting water voles to move downstream. The work has been carried out under license from Natural England, as rare water voles are a legally protected species.

The eastern bank of the canal will be planted with more vegetation in a bid to encourage water voles.

The Wilts And Berks Canal Trust currently offers canal boat trips from a landing stage outside Waitrose.

The trust’s boat – called the Dragonfly – will be moved to a mooring at the Kingshill end of the canal while the work is carried out.

The trust says the boat will not be offering tours during October, but, their popular “Santa” trips will return.

These family-friendly tours see the trust’s boat volunteers take visitors on a trip to find Santa. Once revealed, he hands a present to each child on board.

Paul Matthews, of the trust, said: “We’ve known for a number of months this work was going to happen.”

The trust had wanted contractors to install a “turning hole” for the boat where they plan to dam the canal.

However, the council apparently declined – claiming high costs. Instead, the boat will turn beneath the bridge that carries the railway path from Old Town to Mannington.

A spokeswoman for Swindon Borough Council said that contractors Buckingham Group would undertake the work.

She said: “Work to drain down the canal is likely to start a week on Monday.

“The water will be stored in the adjacent sections of the canal and ponds within the Wichelstowe site until the work is complete and the canal can be re-filled.

“The work will improve the banks of the canal ready to support the construction of the towpath and the adjoining houses next year. It is likely to take a couple of months to complete.”

For more about canal trips visit www.wbct.org.uk.