Canal raises visitor cash flow

Since reopening in 2001, visitors to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal have brought £2.5 million into the area annually. Research commissioned by government canal body British Waterways concludes that around £10 million is spent by the 2.3 million visitors to the canal each year, with £2.5 million being "extra" money for the area. The figures from Ecotec Research and Consulting indicate that the canal has been a spur for major development in both Huddersfield and Stalybridge. Since 1990, around £100 million has been invested in commercial and residential canalside developments, creating around 800 jobs. The research will allow the economic benefits of recent major canal restoration projects to be tracked.