A fallen tree that struck a boat blocked navigation on the Kennet and Avon Canal at Bradford on Avon for 13 hours last week.

A 12 metre rotten willow tree fell across the canal near the Bradford on Avon lock at 11.30pm last Thursday, causing damage to the back seat of a canal boat.

Although there were three occupants on the holiday hire boat, they were asleep at the time and received no injuries but Bradford on Avon Fire Crew attended the scene for one hour to cut away branches.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Services said: “The aim was to make it safe from the boat’s perspective so the crew cut off the branches to reduce the weight of the tree on the boat.”

The crew handed over to the Canal and River Trust whose contractors attended the scene the next morning and were able to reopen the canal by 12.30pm the next day as they were making sure the remaining section of the tree was safe. Derrick Hunt, volunteer work party organiser at Bradford on Avon for the Canal and River Trust, said: “It caused a backlog because there was a queue of boats above and below the lock waiting for the canal to reopen.

“Once it opened, the volunteers of the trust paired the boats together to get them through the lock quicker.”