After the damage caused to the stretch of the Devizes stretch of the Kennet and Avon Canal, the towpath is set to be closed for a number of weeks.

The towpath from Northgate Street down to Prison Bridge suffered from extensive water damage on Sunday, October 25, after the lock paddle was left open for a number of hours, leaving large holes in the towpath’s surface.

Staff from the Canal and River Trust have already started work on fixing the path, but are facing weeks of labour and thousands of pounds worth of costs to have the towpath opened again.

Maeve Thompson, of the Canal and River Trust, said: “At the moment it’s looking like it’ll be around six weeks until we can reopen the towpath, although at the moment that’s just an estimate.

“Our engineers will be onsite from Tuesday to get the work underway so we’ll know more then. The estimated cost is in the region of £250,000.”

The lock paddle is the section at the bottom of the lock gate that acts as an overflow valve. Because it was left open, water poured down through the lock all night and damaged the embankment.

Waterway manager Mark Evans, 47, said: “The Kennet and Avon Canal is over 200 years old and needs constant maintenance so to have such damage to deal with on top of that is very disheartening.

“At the end of the day, it’s our heritage, and is enjoyed more than ever by the communities around it, but if we don’t take care of it, we’ll lose it.”

It is still unknown if the damage was caused by a careless canal user or vandals. The trust are still looking for people who may have seen the lock being used on October 25. They can contact the Canal and River Trust on 0303 0404040.