Posted on: Tuesday 23 June 2026
Vegetation has been cleared from an overgrown section of canal thanks to a joint effort between the council and voluntary groups.
Work to remove water soldier plants from a section of the canal at Two Locks, in Cwmbran, was carried out yesterday following the discovery of dead fish in the area earlier this month.
It is believed the fish died due to a drop in oxygen levels caused by a combination of the overgrown plants, a reduction in water levels and last month's warm weather.
Volunteers from Bridge 46 and Cwmbran Angling Association, worked alongside canal co-ordinator Chris Wyatt and councillors, to clear a channel one metre wide and 100 metres long, following approval by Natural Resources Wales.
The plants were bagged and left on the side for the council's Streetscene team to collect.
The work will help to ensure the flow of water and oxygen levels are maintained as temperature are forecast to increase again this week.
Tracey Leake-Jones, from the Bridge 46 group, said: "About three weeks ago there was an oxygen crash - it is a natural phenomenon caused by certain atmospheric pressures and heat and lack of flow reduces the oxygen and fish can't survive, so that was really really sad.
"So to try and make it better for the wildlife to try and ensure that that doesn't happen again we've created a channel through to increase the flow.
"Once the breeding season is over we’re told that Torfaen have the intention of completely doing this stretch with machines but at the moment it's person power!"
Chris Wyatt said: "I'd like to thank the volunteers who have come together to form a joint working party to tackle the problems at Two Locks.
"We needed to wait for guidance from Natural Resources Wales to remove the plants as it needed to be done carefully to reduce any disruption to the silt, which could make the situation worse.
"The volunteers helped us to respond promptly and responsibly for the benefit for the local wildlife and canal users. The next step will be for us to source funding for contractors to carry out a larger scale clearance operation later in the year, supported by our valued community groups."
Earlier this month, volunteers from Bridge 46 and Cwmbran Angling Association helped to remove the dead fish and litter from the Two Locks sections. The fish were safely disposed of by the council's Streetscene team.