#canalrestoration #lichfieldcanal #hathertoncanal #WeDigCanals A Gallows Reach storm on 27 August 2026 briefly filled the unfinished Lichfield Canal. The Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust (LHCRT) says an intense burst of rain arrived before the construction work is finished. For a short time, the channel looked like a restored waterway. Why the Gallows Reach storm overtopped the bund Work on Gallows Reach is still in progress. A temporary diversion pipe now carries surface-water run-off past the site. That pipe is smaller than the original Big Pipe, which was put in when the canal closed. Because the temporary pipe cannot take a very heavy flow, extra water is meant to sit in the channel. When rain eases, the level falls again. The Gallows Reach storm was so hard that the flow rose faster than the pipe could carry it. Then the water went past the retaining bund. After that, it ran into the section between the bund and the Lift Bridge. Borrowcop, Darnford and flood storage