Essential maintenance is being carried out on the Kennet & Avon Canal by the Canal & River Trust.

Projects totalling over £300,000 will be completed along the length of the waterway, including painstakingly repairing historic canal walls, locks and lock gates.

This includes in Wiltshire at Great Bedwyn, Bruce Tunnel near Marlborough Road and Wootten Rivers near Pewsey.

The stand-out piece of work will be carried out in January, when people will have the opportunity to walk inside a drained lock in Hungerford and experience a two-century old world that is usually hidden beneath the waterline.

This winter the trust is spending a total of £45 million to look after 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales.

Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, said: "Every day thousands of people visit or cruise on our waterways without ever seeing all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, and below the waterline, to look after this historic and remarkable infrastructure.

"This winter we are spending around £45 million on essential repair and restoration works and routine maintenance to our canals and rivers.

"By showcasing this work to the public we can give them a glimpse of the craftsmanship of the waterways’ original 18th Century design and the scale of the work we do to care for it.

"We hope this will inspire more people to get involved to enjoy and help support their local canal or river navigation. Kier is sponsoring this year’s programme."

Eddie Quinn, waterways operations director, said: “We are incredibly proud to sponsor the trust’s essential work to preserve the canals and rivers of England and Wales.

"Repairing and maintaining the waterways is a huge task requiring traditional materials and methods to be used to maintain this vital part of our heritage.

"As well as historical importance, the waterways are now widely recognised for being crucial for wildlife and are a well-loved leisure resource for millions of people every year.”

Every year the Canal & River Trust carries out a year round programme of works to conserve and repair the fragile infrastructure of the canals and rivers in its care.

Teams of experts replace lock gates and complete essential maintenance across 2,000 miles of canals and rivers so they can be enjoyed by over 33,000 boats and ten million towpath visitors each year.

The trust is working on around 100 locks across the country, replacing 141 lock gates this winter.

To find out more about the winter stoppage programme and other open days happening across the country go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/restorationandrepairs