CANAL lovers are hoping to lovingly restore England’s first canal, which helped spark the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.

St Helens Council is calling on the Government to help restore Sankey Canal, the country’s first dead water canal.

Many people wrongly believe Bridgewater was the first commercial canal, but Sankey Canal opened in 1757, four years before its Northern counterpart.

Running from the River Mersey through Widnes, Warrington and St Helens, the U-shaped canal has only been partly restored.

Now St Helens Council and Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS) are joining forces and plan to write to the Northwest Development Agency for funding.

Peter Keen, SCARS secretary, said: “Parts of the canal have already been restored but we still have two main problems; restoring the in-filled sections of the canal and linking the canal to the national canal network, either to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal or in the direction of Leigh.

“We think it would cost in the region of £90m. It’s hard to get the money, but we’re hopeful that by creating a partnership with St Helens Council and the other two neighbouring councils we might be more successful in our bids.”

He added: “The Sankey Canal introduced the Industrial Revolution and was the first in England.

“The North-West has a lot of firsts, the first motorway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the first canal – it would be a shame for it to sink into obscurity.”

The two Locks into the River Mersey were restored in the early 1980s to form marinas for sea-going/estuary pleasure boats and sections have been tidied to make the canal path more attractive for visitors.

Cllr Brian Spencer, leader of St Helens Council, said: “SCARS is making a massive contribution to preserving and maintaining this important aspect of our Borough’s industrial heritage, but the Government and other funding agencies must make funds available to support this work.”