Dramatic video footage has revealed the terrifying moment a narrowboat toppled into a vast sinkhole after a canal embankment suddenly gave way in Whitchurch, Shropshire.
A "Disaster Movie" Scene Unfolds at Dawn
The major incident occurred just after 4am on Monday, 22 December 2025, when a section of the Llangollen Canal embankment collapsed. The failure released large amounts of water which gushed onto the surrounding land, draining the canal and creating a cavernous hole approximately 50 metres long.
In the clip, the stricken narrowboat can be seen teetering on the brink, accompanied by the sound of cracking wood, before it slowly tips and disappears into the void below.
Eyewitness Accounts of Terror and Relief
Local resident Paul Smith-Storey, 58, described being woken by a "big crash" and a "massive roar of water". "It felt like a disaster movie, especially when that boat dropped over the edge," he said. "It's just incredible, these steel boats weigh about 17 tonnes and to see the force of water just carry that over the edge is quite scary."
Another boat owner, Phil Johnson, 56, witnessed the event firsthand. He reported water flying past at a "horrendous speed" and saw the vessel "teetering on the edge" before its final descent. "It's awful to say but it reminded me of that horrible scene from the Titanic film," he added, "because that's what it was like, when the back goes down and the bow comes up, and it finally just slid into the hole."
Major Incident Response and Long Road to Repair
Three boats were affected by the catastrophic collapse. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident and assisted 12 people in evacuating the area safely. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries.
Fire service area manager Scott Hurford noted that it appeared people on the canal had realised the water level was dropping dangerously and had begun evacuating before emergency crews arrived.
The Canal and River Trust is now on site, working to stabilise the area and secure the affected boats. However, they have warned that comprehensive repair work on the damaged embankment is likely to take at least six months to complete, signalling a lengthy disruption for the local waterways.
