Fish rescued after Union canal breached in storm

Image source, Scottish Canals

More than 11,000 fish have been rescued after a canal was breached during a storm.

Torrential rain and thunderstorms last week created a 30 metre-wide hole in the Union canal near Polmont.

The fish, including pike, perch, roach, eel, three spined stickleback and brown trout, had been displaced in pools of water downstream of the breach.

They have now been returned to the canal, the body in charge of maintaining the country's canals, said.

Scottish Canals said on the day of the breach about 40mm of rain fell in the space of one hour at the site, which is between Polmont and Muiravonside in Falkirk.

They said this lead to a significant volume of water flowing into the canal, eventually overtopping and washing away part of the embankment.

Gus Brindle from the Scottish Federation of Coarse Angling said it was an "unprecedented incident".

He said the SFCA would be monitoring the areas where the rescued fish have been released and urged anyone in the area to report sightings of any fish in distress.

Sandbags and clay dams have been installed either side of the breach to stop the flow of water.