On the 10 March, a wier at Cullochy, six miles south of Fort Augustus, collapsed after heavy rain, making the Caledonian Canal impassable for boats travelling coast to coast. Scottish Canals carried out a major civil engineering appraisal and repair response, and have now reported that work is progressing well.

A spokeswoman said, ‘Despite the high volume and speed of water passing through the temporary dam at Cullochy Weir on the Caledonian Canal this week, we are pleased to be able to report that, as of lunchtime today (30 March 2015), the breach has now been closed.’

The work carried out includes piling being installed at and around the breach, which is then tied to the embankment. The opposite side of the wier is also being shored up to protect it from the River Oich.

At present, a temporary dam of concrete blocks is resitricting water flow at Aberchalder bridge. Once the work has been complete to fully stabilise the wier, the dam will be removed and normal navigation can resume. This is expected to happen by 30 April 2015.