Editing Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal (section)

=== Decline ===
By 1924 the Bolton arm had experienced a significant fall in traffic, although until the 1930s, when colliery closures reduced traffic even further, coal trade remained brisk.<ref name="PagetTomlinsonpp148149"/> By 1935 [[Fletcher's Canal]] had fallen into disuse. Burst banks alongside the Irwell and [[River Croal|Croal]] rivers (caused largely by subsidence from mining activities) were common. A major [[#Breaches|breach]] occurred in 1936 and was never repaired. {{convert|10.45|acre|m2}} of land around this breach was purchased from the [[British Transport Commission]] by Cream's Paper Mill, who subsequently built over part of the canal.<ref name="Lyddon 1975 p=127">{{Harvnb|Lyddon|Marshall|1975|p=127.}}</ref>

On 2&nbsp;March 1937 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway held a [[Special General Meeting]] during which they proposed to abandon the canal from Clifton Aqueduct to Bailey Bridge, from Bailey Bridge to Bury, and the entire Bolton arm from Nob End Locks to Bolton.<ref>{{Citation |title=Notice of a Special General Meeting of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway |newspaper=The Times| url = http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?toDate=1946-12-31&fromDate=1910-01-01&currentPageNumber=1&resultsPerPage=10&sortBy=default&offset=0&viewName=&addFilters=&removeFilters=&addCat=&queryKeywords=bolton+canal&sectionId=1040&currPgSmartSet=1&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1937-02-11-26&articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1937-02-11-26-008&xmlpath=&pubId=17&totalResults=1265&addRefineFilters=&removeRefineFilters=&addRefineCat=&next_Page=false&prev_Page=false&date_dd_From=1&date_mm_From=01&date_yyyy_From=1910&date_dd_to_range=31&date_mm_to_range=12&date_yyyy_to_range=1946&date_dd_from_precise=1&date_mm_from_precise=01&date_yyyy_from_precise=1910&isDateSearch=false&dateSearchType=range&refineQuerykeywordText=  |url-access=subscription |date= 11 February 1937}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Retrieved on 29 June 2008</ref> The proposal was not carried<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=Transport (Bury and Bolton Canal) |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1938/mar/24/transport-bury-and-bolton-canal#S5CV0333P0-04368 |house=House of Commons |date=24 March 1938 |column=cc1397-8W |volume=333 |author=Alan Chorlton |author2=Edward Burgin |mode=cs2}}</ref> but four years later, under the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Act of 1941, they abandoned {{convert|7|mi|km}} of the canal, including a section from Prestolee to Clifton and the entire Bolton arm.<ref>{{cite Hansard |title=Shipping Turn-around |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1948/mar/08/shipping-turn-round-working-party#S5CV0448P0-11259 |house=House of Commons |date=8 March 1948 |column=cc112-3W |volume=448 |speaker=Alfred Barnes |position=Minister of Transport |mode=cs2}}</ref> In 1939, during the [[World War II|Second World War]], the [[Department for Transport|Ministry of Transport]] ordered a half-mile section in Agecroft piped, to reduce the risk of German bomb damage damaging the adjacent [[Magnesium Elektron|Magnesium Elektron Company's]] site.<ref name="PagetTomlinsonpp148149"/>

Although it continued to generate revenue from the sale of water, tolls produced only a small proportion of the canal's income. In 1946, against expenses of £12,500, it earned a total of £7,296, of which only £471 was from tolls.<ref name="Hadfieldpp439441">{{Harvnb|Hadfield|Biddle|1970|pp=439–441.}}</ref> In 1951 total income was £8,815 against a total expenditure of £9,574.<ref>{{Harvnb|Palmer (chairman)|1955|pp=100–101.}}</ref> In the same year, the canal carried {{convert|3933|LT}} of coal and no other materials.<ref>{{Harvnb|Palmer (chairman)|1955|p=124.}}</ref>

A British Transport Commission report of 1955 included the canal in its list of "Waterways having insufficient commercial prospects to justify their retention for navigation".<ref>{{Harvnb|Palmer (chairman)|1955|p=70.}}</ref> Following an Act of Parliament, in 1961 the canal was abandoned.<ref name="PagetTomlinsonpp148149"/><ref>{{Citation |title=Parliamentary Notices in Parliament, Session 1960–1961 |newspaper=The Times |url=http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?toDate=1985-12-31&fromDate=1960-01-01&currentPageNumber=1&resultsPerPage=10&sortBy=default&offset=0&viewName=&addFilters=&removeFilters=&addCat=&queryKeywords=bolton+canal&sectionId=1040&currPgSmartSet=1&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1960-12-02-04&articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1960-12-02-04-001&xmlpath=&pubId=17&totalResults=369&addRefineFilters=&removeRefineFilters=&addRefineCat=&next_Page=false&prev_Page=false&date_dd_From=1&date_mm_From=01&date_yyyy_From=1960&date_dd_to_range=31&date_mm_to_range=12&date_yyyy_to_range=1985&date_dd_from_precise=1&date_mm_from_precise=01&date_yyyy_from_precise=1960&isDateSearch=false&dateSearchType=range&refineQuerykeywordText= |url-access=subscription |date=2 December 1960}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Retrieved on 1 July 2008</ref> A single coal delivery service between Sion Street and Bury Moors continued until 1968, but this was the last commercial traffic to use the canal.