DREDGERS have been spotted at work on the River Weaver.

Work to deepen sections of the river, making it passable for boats with greater than usual draughts, was going on around both Winnington Swing Bridge and Acton Bridge, on Sunday, May 5, and Monday, May 6.

This comes ahead of Steam at the Lift 2024, Anderton Boat Lift’s festival of all things coal powered, on Saturday, May 11, and Sunday, May 12, which the Canal and River trust says will be 'the biggest ever'. 

The festival includes Northwich’s first ever flotilla of steamboats, which will be forming up on the river near Odeon Cinema, Barons Quay, at 10am on the Saturday morning.

Visitors can follow the flotilla downstream on foot from Barons Quay all the way to the Anderton Boat Lift, which takes around half-an-hour.

While the section where dredgers have been seen is downstream of the festival site, with steamboats expected for all over the UK, passage for boats approaching the town from the north ahead of the festival could be eased.

A spokesman for the Canal and River Trust said: “A major dredging programme on the River Weaver Navigation this spring is being carried out by C&RT contractors.

“This will give a major boost for all craft cruising along the river, including the steam flotilla this weekend.”