Children hold key to canal chaos

Children are making their own lock keys and using them to drain stretches of water along the Stourbridge Canal, it has been claimed.

They are believed to be behind a recent vandal attack on the canal near the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley.

A quarter-mile section of the canal, between two locks, was drained early on Saturday morning.

It had to be refilled by British Waterways and canal users said was not the first time it had been targeted.

Officials at British Waterways said they believed keys, which are made available to boat owners, could have fallen into the wrong hands.