Swans rescued as Montgomery Canal runs dry

Five swans that had become stuck in mud after the Montgomery Canal ran dry near Llanymynech have been rescued, but local residents are fuming at the ecological disaster that has unfolded in front of their eyes.

Readers have contacted us asking “how has this been allowed to happen?” and have blamed bad management of the canal and the construction of a new wetland project close by for the water disappearing during the ongoing dry spell.

After weeks of complaints of struggling birds and dead fish, things came to a head this week when four volunteers from Cuan Wildlife Rescue supported locals in rescuing the stricken swans.

Local resident Sue Williams said: “It took us over two hours to catch them with a couple of the volunteers needing pulling out having got stuck knee deep in the mud too. It was such hard work in the heat.

“They’re all safely gathered and have been transferred to a lake that Cuan have to recover before deciding where to finally locate them.”

It is hoped that the adults will fly back to Llanymynech to breed again next year once the cygnets have fledged, but residents report dead fish and struggling ducks along the drained stretch.

One described the scene as a “total disgrace” and even a spokesperson for the Canal & Rivers Trust, who we spoke to this morning, said the situation was “heartbreaking”.

“It is heartbreaking to see the impact the low water levels have had on wildlife in this section of the Montgomery Canal,” the spokesperson said.

“A damaged weir has reduced the flow of water into the Tanat Feeder, which supplies the canal. We have been removing debris restricting the flow and on Monday a temporary dam has been going in that will allow repairs to the weir and restore water flow to the feeder and fish pass.

“A local wildlife rescue organisation has been helping by relocating the swans to a safer section of the canal, while our fisheries team has been responding to the loss of fish with the extreme heat further reducing oxygen levels in the water and increasing pressure on aquatic wildlife.

“We understand the concern this has caused locally and are keeping community groups informed as we work to restore water levels as quickly as possible. This incident highlights the importance of our ongoing work to create a more resilient Montgomery Canal for wildlife and local communities.”

The new wetland is being constructed as part of the overall multimillion-pound project to restore the canal and re-connect it with the UK canal network using ‘Levelling Up’ money provided by the UK Government.