Firefighters had to rescue 18 people after a 50-foot pleasure cruiser got stuck on the Anderson Boat Lift in Cheshire yesterday (2 July)
Cheshire firefighters have rescued 18 people from a pleasure cruiser after it became stuck on the Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich.
The 50-foot boat became stuck after the lift’s hydraulic platform broke down, around 2pm yesterday (2 July).
A further 15 passengers managed to leave the boat themselves. No one was injured in the incident.
The Anderson Boat Lift is a two caisson lift lock, and provides a 50-foot vertical link between the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal.
A spokesman for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engine crews from Northwich and a rope rescue unit from Lymm attended the scene.
A boat enters the Anderton Boat Lift. Credit: Gordon Griffiths/Wikimedia Commons
“Fire crews were called to a boat which had become stuck on Anderton Boat Lift, Northwich, after a hydraulic platform had failed,” said the spokesman.
“Firefighters rescued 18 people who were on board a 50ft pleasure cruiser. A further 15 members of the public managed to exit the craft without the help of the firefighters.”
“Crews were at the scene for approximately an hour and a half. No one was injured during the incident,” added the spokesman.
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The lift, which is also a popular tourist attraction, raises narrowboats and barges 50 feet from the River Weaver straight up to the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Built in 1875, the Anderson Boat Lift is a popular Cheshire tourist attraction, and has a visitor centre nearby.
It was used for more than 100 years before it closed in 1983 due to corrosion.
It was reopened in 2002 after a year of restoration, and is run and operated by the Canal and River Trust.
It is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK – the other is the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland.
The Anderson Boat Lift is a designated scheduled monument.