Shropshire Sinkhole? Blame It On Climate Change!

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

h/t Ian Magness

Even GB News have fallen for this load of climate baloney!

The dramatic collapse of a canal embankment in Shropshire has exposed the fragile condition of Britain’s ageing waterways.

Engineers are now warning tiny, often invisible cracks are increasingly responsible for sudden and catastrophic failures across the network.

The incident, which saw a section of the Shropshire Union Canal give way and drain into surrounding farmland, has been described by waterways specialists as a textbook example of how ageing infrastructure, compounded by extreme weather, can unravel with little warning.

Britain’s canal system, much of which dates back more than 250 years, was constructed using materials and techniques that were robust for their time but are increasingly vulnerable to modern stresses.

Prolonged droughts can cause clay embankments to shrink and crack, while subsequent heavy rainfall allows water to penetrate deep into the structure, washing away supporting material.

The Canal & River Trust, which manages around 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales, told The Sunday Times such incidents are becoming more likely as climate volatility increases.

Alternating periods of extreme heat and intense rainfall place unprecedented strain on historic earthworks that were never designed to cope with such fluctuations.

Full story here.

There is no evidence whatsoever that alternating periods of extreme heat and intense rainfall are becoming more common.

But inadvertently the Canal & River Trust give the game away:

Engineers say the challenge is exacerbated by the sheer scale of the network.

Thousands of embankments, locks and cuttings require constant inspection, yet many defects remain hidden until failure occurs.

While modern monitoring techniques can identify surface movement, internal erosion is notoriously difficult to detect.

Funding pressures have also sharpened concern.

The Trust faces a long-term reduction in government support, raising fears that preventative maintenance will increasingly give way to costly emergency repairs.

Experts argue that routine inspection and early intervention are far cheaper than rebuilding collapsed infrastructure but require sustained investment.

If you want more money from the government, what better excuse do you need than “climate change”!