The Canal Today
| Section | Obstructed | Filled In | Not in Water | In water |
| Main line | 1.3 (13%) | 6.5 (67%) | 1 (10%) | 1 (10%) |
| Elsecar Branch | NIL | 0.1 (6%) | 1 (47%) | 1 (47%) |
| Worsbrough Branch | NIL | 1 (50%) | 0.9 (44%) | 0.1 (6%) |
| Whole Canal | 1.3 (9%) | 7.6 (55%) | 2.9 (21%) | 2.1 (15%) |
The two branches have fared far better than the main line since its closure. The more rural nature of these sections means that the land has been left relatively untouched. In parts of the main line problems of obstruction and poor maintenance means that alternative routes have been suggested. This is particularly acute in Wath-upon-Dearne, Wombwell and Stairfoot where road improvement and land-reclamation schemes have utilised and obliterated several miles of the former canal bed.
The closure of all the local mines that the canal served means that further subsidence is no longer a problem. The abandonment of the railway line that replaced the canal in 1988 has given the canal an alternative route. This land has been secured from intrusion by other land users and will be relatively easily excavated to create a new channel. It is also being used as part of the Trans Pennine Trail.
The canal is referred to as 'a vital missing link' by the Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canals Trust. Their aim is to completely restore the canal along with the Barnsley Canal in order to complete the Yorkshire Ring. The canal is now undergoing restoration. The Elsecar branch is to be the first part of the canal to be restored. The top two pounds and top lock have been restored and a launch ramp has been added in the top pound. Funding was obtained from the Yorkshire European Community Trust, and the lock gates were fitted in May 1999. Other parts of the canal such as the top of the Worsbrough branch have remained in good condition despite years of neglect.
Parts of the towpath form sections of the Trans Pennine Trail, a long distance footpath that connects Liverpool, Leeds, Hull and Chesterfield. The reservoir at the top of the Elsecar branch has been designated a local nature reserve by Barnsley Council and the area surrounding the reservoir at the top of the Worsbrough branch has become Worsbrough Country Park.
Read more about this topic: Dearne And Dove Canal
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