A major incident has been declared after part of the network collapsed in Shropshire, leaving boats stuck in a deep cavity and water rushing into nearby fields.
The collapse happened on the near early Monday morning. Engineers say a man-made embankment that had supported the canal for more than 200 years failed, causing the canal bed to collapse.
Two narrowboats fell into the hole shortly after 04:00 GMT. Witnesses estimated the cavity to be around 15 feet deep and up to 180 feet long. Several other boats were left teetering on the edge.
About 50 firefighters from were sent to the scene. Police confirmed there were no injuries. Up to 15 people were moved to safety as a precaution.
Scott Hurford, an area manager with the fire service, said crews began receiving emergency calls around 04:20 GMT. He said the priority was protecting lives, property, and the environment, while also helping with recovery.
Engineers stressed the incident was not a sinkhole, despite early descriptions. Mark Durham, principal engineer for the Canal and River Trust, said the correct term was an embankment failure. He said it was too early to know what caused the structure to give way.
The collapse sent an estimated one million gallons of water into surrounding fields. Fire crews installed a flood gate to stop more water from draining and to prevent further flooding in the town.
Local councillor Sho Abdul described the scene as shocking. He said the damage looked like a bomb had gone off and added that homes and lives had been disrupted, especially hard at this time of year.
Boat residents said they were woken by loud noises and unusual movement. Lorraine Barlow, who lives on a nearby boat, told she felt bubbling under her boat before it began to tilt. She said the canal was suddenly left with no water.
Another boater, Paul Storey, said the sound of rushing water and crashing boats made people fear an earthquake. He said the noise was so intense that residents knew they had to get off their boats immediately.
have asked the public to avoid the area, known locally as Chemistry, while inspections and recovery work continue.
The Canal and River Trust said inspections had been carried out recently and showed no signs of danger at the time. The trust said it will now examine the failure closely, recover the damaged boats, and rebuild the embankment, though no timeline has been given.
Officials said support is being provided to affected boaters and nearby residents as work continues to stabilize the canal and restore water levels.