April saw the start of grass cutting. The first task party of the month saw the grounds at Midland Chandlers and the junction water point maintained. The MC seating area gravel was also weeded.
The second task party started to address the muddy towpath issue below lock 4. After obtaining 'permission to dig' from Sky the onside below lock 4 was scanned to locate the fibre cable. To get a head start several gravel boards were positioned the previous day. The idea being to raise the back of the towpath to allow it to shed water effectively. Subsequently, a crew of 10 continued the installation of gravel boards, removing the mud and grading of the surface of the path. In future, it may be deemed necessary to install a french drain to catch water seeping through the bank from the adjacent field.
In addition, a start was made on edging the copings of this pound. Some of the spoil from todays activities was used to repair the erosion further along the towpath that was caused previously by emerging ground water.