Nature lovers are reportedly taking matters into their own hands by moving fish and building dams in a bid to save wildlife amid fears a stretch of canal could dry up completely in the hot weather.
Water levels have plunged at the Sankey Canal at Spike Island in Widnes since May after a pump at Fiddler’s Ferry power station, that had kept it supplied, was switched off. This followed the decommissioning of the coal-fired plant in 2020.
Michael Heaton, 62, of Penketh, branded the situation “dire” and told the ECHO pike have been found dead in the area and only two of four cygnets born on June 1 to a pair of swans at Spike Island have survived, with residents fearing the deaths are due to dwindling amounts of fresh water.
