The Rochdale Canal was officially reopened at the end of last month following a £25m restoration project managed by British Waterways.

The 18-month project was funded by grants from the Millennium Commission (£11.9m), the Northwest Development Agency (£10.8m) and a consortium of Oldham and Rochdale Borough Councils (£1.1m).

Roger Hanbury, chief executive of The Waterways Trust, which owns the canal, said: 'We now look forward to seeing the canal thriving; buzzing with boaters, cyclists, joggers, walkers and all the people who enjoy Britain's canals and rivers.'

The Rochdale Canal is known as the Everest of canals - it carries the waterway up around 600ft through more than 90 locks.

Originally opened in 1804, the canal fell into disuse with the decline of freight traffic and was closed in 1952. The project has seen a restoration of a 15.5mile stretch which, together with a section previously restored, has created a 32mile navigation canal between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire.

George Greener, chair of British Waterways, said: 'Time and again canal restoration is proving to be a major kick-start for regeneration. British Waterways has been involved in over £2bn worth of urban and rural regeneration over the last decade.'

British Waterways claims the country's waterways are visited over 160 million times a year by 10 million people who spend £1.5bn annually.

The canal was opened by Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, who planted some floating water plantain in a special in-channel nature reserve. Much of the canal has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).