- Mobile phones, a shopping trolley and a car tyre have all been found on the bed of London's Regent's Canal
- They were dug-up during a clean-up operation to replace the lock gates, which only happens every 25 years
- Canal and River Trust drained Kentish Town lock of 50,000 gallons of water - equivalent of around 1,000 bathtubs
A
wheel of a discarded bicycle, a rusty shopping trolley and a
mud-stained mobile phone - these were just some of the objects dug up
during a massive clean-up operation of Regent's Canal.
The
Canal and River Trust drained the Kentish Town lock of 50,000 gallons
of water - the equivalent of around 1,000 bathtubs - to replace its
gates, which revealed the unexpected items lurking beneath the surface.
These
included old trainers, a digital camera, a car tyre, shards of glass,
plastic bags, bottles and tattered pieces of clothing.
The
bizarre assortment of objects - which were bedded eight feet below the
surface - were fished out the canal during the maintenance job this
morning.
Visitors were given tours of the site, which is situated close to Camden Town.
Graham
Smith, Canal and River Trust construction supervisor, said: 'The lock
gates haven't been replaced since the early 1990s, so this was a really
rare opportunity for visitors.'
A set of canal gates typically cost £20,000 and last around 25 years.
They are now made from sustainable oak and weigh more than two tonnes each.
Last
October, the capital's canal - which runs from Mile End Stadium to
Limehouse Basin - was drained for maintenance as part of a £45million
countrywide scheme to keep the country's waterway system in good working
order.
This latest operation comes just a fortnight after more than 4.5 tonnes of trout, carp and bream were netted, washed and rehomed from Paris' Canal Saint-Martin.
They were moved to their new home in a section of the canal that was not being drained.
The last time the three-mile stretch of canal was cleaned out, in 2001, more than 40 tons of rubbish was discovered.
A dirt-ridden and flat bicycle tyre
was one of the numerous items that were found at the bottom of Regent's
Canal at Kentish Town Lock
This rusty, upturned shopping trolley
stuck in the filthy mud at the bottom of the canal was one of the
unusual items dug up this morning
A Blackberry mobile phone, which still
looks in relatively good condition, as well as another phone and
digital camera were also unearthed
Two old trainers, empty bottles and pieces of wood and litter were among the items found lurking beneath the water's surface
Onlookers walking along the Regent's
Canal path stop to take pictures of the remarkable array of items found
at the bottom of the canal
Visitors to the lock, near Camden
Town, were given the chance to tour the site - which only has its gates
replaced every 25 years
A set of canal gates typically cost £20,000 and are now made from sustainable oak and weigh more than two tonnes each
The
draining of the water, which was required to replace the gates at
Kentish Town Lock, revealed a mobile phone and shopping trolley
Visitors take pictures of the rare sight after being given the chance to see what lurks beneath the water's surface
Mobile phones, a digital camera, a car tyre and bicycle wheel were all found on the bed of London's Regent's Canal
Visitors inspect the impressive new gates installed at Kentish Town Lock - they cost £20,000 and last around 25 years
A bicycle wheel, mobile phones and old
trainers were among an abundance of junk found hidden in the drained
chamber of Regent's Canal
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