Cafe trade down 40% after canal collapse

The owner of a business on the Llangollen Canal says she is glad that the waterway is set to reopen in March after losing about 40% of their trade.

Part of the canal in Whitchurch has been shut since 22 December 2025, when a large section of the canal gave way, leaving two boats at the bottom of a huge trench and a third hanging over its edge.

Jane Beaumont, who runs the Lockside Cafe in Grindley Brook, said the drop in earnings was because boats are not passing by and people cannot walk along the canal path.

In an update, the Canal & River Trust said the canal was "expected to reopen ahead of Easter, allowing businesses and visitors to benefit from the start of the main boating and tourism season".

It added that the work would be weather dependent, and it would provide updates on the work and anticipated opening date as the project progresses.

"[I'm] glad that it'll hopefully be open for Easter, so businesses can start trading again and the boats will be along, people will be along, and everything will go with the flow," Beaumont told the BBC.

"We've had massive support from the local community, they rallied around and supported us greatly," she said.

Beaumont told the BBC that she initially estimated that they could lose 70 to 75% of their trade.

"With the help of the local community, that is now about a 40% drop in trade, so the community has come together to help with this."

"People keep coming back and coming back because people care about the cafe, and care about the family business. It's absolutely heart-warming to experience it."

She added that if the works got delayed past Easter, it could be a "big issue".

"Easter is usually when trade starts for the spring/summer season for the canal," Beaumont said.

"If it doesn't open then, it will impact us more. If it is open later, I don't know what's going to happen", she added.

Beaumont has been running the cafe for about 24 years, alongside her son and daughter.

Away at the time of the breach, she rushed back home when she heard the news.

In June, she said she had lost all of her summer trade, and created a programme of events for the rest of 2026 to boost trade, including a day of music, mini markets and fancy dress.

In January, Julie Sharman, chief operating officer of the trust, said it had hoped to reopen the canal at the end of 2026.

The embankment rebuild is due to be finished before Christmas, and a concrete base will be laid ahead of the construction of the new canal channel.

The next phase of work will take place after Christmas, the trust added.

"Businesses, boaters and local communities can have increased confidence of this popular canal being open from Easter 2027," said Campbell Robb, chief executive at the trust.

"While there remains a huge amount of work to do, this marks an important milestone in bringing the Llangollen Canal back stronger and more resilient for the future."

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