A protest rally of boats was organised at Tupigny and Originy-Saint-Benoite, on the Canal de la Sambre à l’Oise, on April 22-24, to stimulate interest in reopening of this valuable link in the European waterway network. The canal has been closed since 2006 when the 50m long Vadencourt aqueduct presented a risk of failure (photo by Michael Clarke). Repairs were to be carried out in 2012, but one of the local authorities committed to the project has recently withdrawn its funding.
