91Èȱ¬

Monday 16 July at 6.32pm
(repeated Sunday 22 July at 6.31am)

Canals were once the M4 of the past, the A55 of their day, the foundations of the transformation of Wales by the industrial revolution.

After years of neglect, the past decade has seen a revival for these manmade waterways, many miles of which are once again navigable and teeming with wildlife.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon, Montgomery and Llangollen canals draw thousands of visitors to Wales each year, and are a rich recreation and leisure resource. And there are hopes of restoring disused stretches of these and other canals in years to come.

But the organisation which manages most of Wales' canals has had its funding cut by the government's rural affairs department, DEFRA, and there are concerns that this will affect the smooth running of our canals, and their continued development into the future.

Eye on Wales takes to the water and asks, is the flow of money to Welsh canals about to run dry?