Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 3rd February, 2018)

I dont know why they dont get a digger in the canal and scrape out all the muck when they have it drained, I bet it would be good for growing tomatoes in.

Surprised they didn't find Shergar in there.

You need to be very careful if you were to scrape out the sludge in a canal. If the puddled clay lining was pierced, the water would quickly drain away. I was tempted to use the word "slutch" instead of sludge but a non-Wiganer might not understand it.

People on a leisurely walk, would probably look at the water surface and think, "I wonder what is under there"
now they know!!

I can remember the canal at Rose Bridge being periodically drained when I was growing up in Ince. The photo gives a feeling of Spring to come.

I seem to recall of reading when canals were being built, that someone of the peerage complained about 'a stinking ditch' encroaching on, or near to his land! Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the illustrious personage,or whether in fact I have dreamt it! It has 'stuck' in my mind so there must be something to it!

I guess they cleared all the old bike frames, wheelbarrows etc before this picture was taken

John D, slutch is a word that is not unique to Wigan. I seem to remember an advert for Dunlop tyres than said, "Good in snow, hail and slutch". When I was at school (a long time ago) we had 3 teachers, Mr. Snow, Mr.Hale and Mr. Sutch (close enough) at the same time that the advert was running, 1960s. That made it stick in my mind.

SLUTCH That reminds me of the time we had allot of visitors from Coventry at our house and I said big day tomorrow I've twenty 3x2 flags coming, one of them said and where are you going to put all them, my reply was in the back garden you can understand the trouble I had explaining flags to them