People interested in boat hire in Yorkshire have been informed that parts of the Leeds And Liverpool Canal are starting to be reopened.

British Waterways revealed that some areas of the canal now have water levels high enough to allow boats to travel.

The first part to reopen, which is below Lock 51 at Barrowford to Lock 85 in Wigan, welcomed boaters last Friday (September 17th), while the remainder will be opened on September 22nd.

Vince Moran, operations director for British Waterways, said: 'We are monitoring our reservoirs on a daily basis and will reopen the remainder of the canal at the earliest opportunity.

'She added that several projects that had been scheduled for the winter are being carried out while areas of the canal are already closed.

The canal was first closed on August 2nd following a period of drought believed to be the worst in a decade.