Ten years ago ... TV presenter helps open £8.5m waterways project in Boston

TV presenter Michaela Strachan was among the special guests at the grand opening of Boston’s new £8.5 million waterways project 10 years ago.

By The Newsroom

Published 30th Mar 2019, 11:00 BST

Environment Agency chairman Lord Chris Smith officially unveiling the Black Sluice Lock 10 years ago with Michaela Strachan.

The Boston Lock Link – the new Black Sluice Lock, off London Road – was unveiled along with the lock keeper’s cottage in a ceremony that saw a small flotilla of boats pass through to mark the project’s completion.

The scheme, which had taken about 15 months to construct, was funded by Lincolnshire County Council (£4 million), the European Regional Development Fund (£2.5 million) and the East Midlands Regional Development Agency (£2 million).

It opened up routes which had been inaccessible to boats for 40 years and also launched Europe’s largest waterway regeneration scheme for two decades. Planning was, at that time, well underway for phase two of the project to link Boston with Spalding via the South Forty Foot Drain.