A car garage was forced to close for three days in December after it was flooded with canal water.
On 14th December, staff opened up Trevelyan’s Autocare in Scholar Green to find the 5ft deep inspection pits in the workshop full of water, and the electric supply off.
The garage is a few hundred yards from the Macclesfield canal where it is believed a sinkhole had opened up on the towpath, next to the former Bird In Hand pub, causing the culvert to collapse overnight on 13th December.
Water then poured down Station Road towards the garage, and flooded Stone Chair Lane.
The canal’s water level is believed to have dropped by two or three inches as result.
Canal and Rivers Trust staff carried out emergency repairs to the culvert and the towpath was closed for safety reasons. It was reported that bunds were placed on the canal and that large pumps were used to clear water from the collapsed culvert and sinkhole.
A staff member at Trevelyan’s described the scene when workers opened up the morning after the flood.
“It was quite a shock. The whole place was flooded. The pits were full of water, and they are 5ft deep. The electric had gone off as well.”
Fortunately there was no damage to any cars but the garage was closed for three days during the clean-up operation.
The worker said: “The culvert runs down towards the garage from Hollinshead Close. A sinkhole opened up next to the canal and the culvert broke. It was just the amount of water that came down here as a result.
“At first we were trying to work out where the floodwater had come from and then we found out what had happened at the canal.”
The garage reported it to the Canal and Rivers Trust, the worker adding: “Although the culvert was repaired the trust has since had to drain the canal as a precaution after a sensor went off.”
A walker on the canal towpath said: “Workers were here every day repairing the culvert. I know Trevelyan garage was flooded and there was a problem with floodwater on Stone Chair Lane. A massive hole had opened up right by the canal. Work to repair it had been going on day and night.”
The trust was asked to comment.
