Vital repairs at troubled Lancaster port expected to run into next year - or even 2026

Lancaster Port Commission, the Environment Agency, Canal & River Trust and Aquavista have issued a statement about Glasson Dock’s broken hydraulic sea gate. The problem has impacted on commercial sea shipping, leisure boats and canal activities, and homes and businesses.

Now, new phases of repair work are due including removal of the sea gate and creating a water-tight enclosure called a cofferdam.

Glasson Dock is part of a hub connecting the Irish Sea, Morecambe Bay, the River Lune estuary, Glasson Marina and the Lancaster Canal.

The port’s hydraulic sea gate has had problems for over a year, impacting on boat and ship movements, flood defences and the control of high sea tides and inner dock water levels.

The long-running situation has raised concerns including about local port and transport jobs, responsibilities and accountability of different organisations, how the repair costs will be met, flood risks, tourism and fish life.

In recent days, the cost to boat owners of transporting vessels by road because of the port access problems has also been highlighted, for example between Glasson and Fleetwood.

In the new statement, the organisations say: “We apologise for the impact to the community, particularly during the sailing season, and for the time taken to provide this update.

"Please be assured that our four organisations have been working hard to progress this as swiftly as possible, by identifying the funding to support the significant investment required to reinstate the navigation and carry out repairs to Glasson Dock gate whilst addressing the planning for these repairs.

“The dock gate needs to be removed for inspection and repair. Lancaster Port Commission is leading on these removal works, which is part funded by the Environment Agency. Once removed, navigation will be restored. The gate will be placed on the dock side to undergo further inspection, and this will ultimately inform the extent of repairs that are required. The inspection will be led by the Environment Agency.

“Further inspection and possible repairs are also required to the dock basin where the gate attaches. This can only be carried out in a dry working area, which requires a cofferdam to be constructed. The cofferdam will also act to restore some level of protection against flooding, but it will prevent navigation whilst in place.

“With a cofferdam taking time to design, fabricate and install, there would be a significant interval between removing the gate and erecting the cofferdam. We are therefore considering what temporary flood defences can be put in place to maintain better flood protection during this period, with the Canal & River Trust working closely with the Environment Agency, as temporary flood defences may be required in the vicinity of the canal lock gate.

“Contractors will be instructed and are expected on site within weeks, with the gate to be removed within for to six weeks. We anticipate that the cofferdam will be in place by autumn 2025 and removed before spring 2026, to ensure that the impact on sailing in 2025-26 is reduced.”

The statement adds: “We will provide more detailed time-scales once we are able.”

Coun Sally Maddocks has been updated on the plans and will be kept informed, the joint statement added. She has previously raised the various issues at Lancaster City Council meetings.