A series of canal lock gates at Gargrave and Bank Newton are being replaced as part of a major £250,000 restoration project.

The five grade two listed gates had been in place for around 30 years and have so far stood up to heavy use.

But now, they are being replaced by new, individually crafted 3.5 tonne gates made at the iconic Stanley Ferry Workshop in Wakefield.

Work, which is due to be completed towards the end of February or early March, involves the draining of pounds - the lengths between each lock - and the necessary temporary removal of fish.

Chantelle Seaborn, the Canal and River Trust’s waterway manager for the North West, said: “Gargrave’s locks are very iconic and it’s a particularly scenic area.”

She added that the locks, aqueducts and bridges dated back to the Industrial Revolution and so needed careful restoration.

The replacement gates will have to be strong enough to control huge water pressures and the hard usage expected from thousands of boats every year.

Ms Seaborn added: “It is important to us that people understand the scale of the work we do which might encourage people to get involved and support their local canal or river..”

To support the work of the trust, people can donate £3 by texting TRUST to 70007, for more details about the maintenance programme visit canalrivertrust.org.uk/ restorationsandrepairs