The second locks were built in the last century to reduce queues, but many are now unworkable and some have been filled in. The locks got their name not because there are so many, but because they are rarely close enough together to walk and work easily. Anderton Lift seen from the River Weaver. There are two large watertight tanks which can each take two full length narrowboats. The tanks are counterbalanced by weights which hang from cables over pulley wheels which can be seen at the top of the lift.
Electric motors raise the water filled tanks and boats from the river to the canal fifty feet above.
The tanks have watertight doors at each end to let the boats in and out. Corrosion of the structure, due to the high salt content of the environment in this salt producing area, has required the lift to be closed for over ten years now. However full restoration is almost complete and the lift should be back in service for 2002. All materials and images Canal Junction Services. No unauthorised reproduction.