PLANS to take the Wilts & Berks Canal through the centre of Melksham, alongside the River Avon, have been backed by a town pressure group.

Enthusiasts have been trying to get the £550m restoration scheme off the ground for years, and have until September to finish a study into the Melksham canal route.

Arguments have been raging for years over the route of the restored canal, which once linked the Thames at Abingdon to the Kennet and Avon Canal at Seend near Melksham.

The river route has been looked at before, but the Environment Agency raised the risks of mixing river and canal boats and flooding dangers.

Engineering consultant Halcrow was hired by the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust this month to look at the possible route through Melksham. It will produce a study to go before the local plan public inquiry in September.

Richard Wiltshire, of the Melksham branch of the trust, said a way to overcome problems raised by the Environment Agency would be to construct the canal on the south side of the River Avon, separated by a narrow wall. Locks would also be needed to lower the canal at the town bridge.

Before Christmas, town councillors and residents voiced their support for a different route, which would take the canal to the east of Melksham.

The route, called modified route G, caused a furore among landowners who said the canal would have a detrimental effect on their livelihoods.

Melksham 1st, whose members represent a wide range of businesses, clubs and societies in the town, met on Monday night to discuss the latest developments.

Supporting the river route members said the project could rejuvenate the town centre.