CANAL enthusiasts have just days to raise nearly £10,000 so they can qualify for a £90,000 grant for restoration work in Wootton Bassett.

The Wilts and Berks Canal Partnership has been promised the grant from a landfill firm, but only if it finds ten per cent of the money from another source before Christmas.

North Wiltshire District Council, which meets tonight, is being recommended to approve the grant of £9,568, which will allow a section of the canal running through Morningside Farm, Wootton Bassett, to be restored.

The money will be used as part of the mammoth task of restoring the 68 mile canal that runs from Semington, near Melksham to Abingdon, north of Newbury.

Morningside Farm is owned by the district council and is managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Some councillors have pledged not to support council funding for the project as they fear the work will disturb the wildlife.

Coun Steve Bucknell, who represents Wootton Bassett on the district council, said he was concerned that work already carried out on other parts of the canal had threatened wildlife.

"The disused canal is a home for water voles, crested newts and kingfishers and in work already completed I have grave concerns that these species have been completely disregarded," said Coun Bucknell.

He said he also had doubts that the work would be completed and said the council should not waste any more money on it.

"North Wiltshire should not put any more money in to it, it's a complete waste of money," said Coun Bucknell. "It will never be reopened.

"Most of the length of it is privately owned and the issue is that the Wilts and Berks canal group do not have any compulsory purchase order powers. It is highly unlikely it will ever be able to acquire the full length of the canal."

But Jenny Stratton, chairman of the Wilts and Berks Canal Partnership, said she is confident that funding will be approved tonight.

"I have no reason to believe it will not go through," said Coun Stratton, who also represents Wootton Bassett on the district council. Coun Stratton acknowledged that much of the canal is privately owned, but said its restoration would still be completed.

She also said a number of local authorities are looking at installing different routes, such as around Swindon and reconnecting at Shrivenham.

"Different phases of work have been completed. Wootton Bassett is slap bang in the middle of the canal, and this is the part of work which needs to be completed," said Coun Stratton.

"Ownership is in the hands of about 100 different landowners but more and more are showing support," she added. "It is a bandwagon that we feel is gathering momentum."

The £90,000 towards the Morningside Farm restoration work will come from waste firm, Virador, which owns the nearby landfill site at Studley Grange.

Virador operates a charitable trust whereby community projects can get back up to ten times what they have donated. Virador then claims the sum of its grant back through the landfill tax credit scheme.