BOATERS at Worcester's Diglis Basin received the best Christmas present ever as rising water levels refloated their homes.

Two weeks after the plug was pulled on the basin during building works, ordinary service has been restored.

The basin, where dozens of boaters were moored, was drained of water after British Waterways workers hit an 18th Century storm sewer during improvement building works.

The work, to improve the mooring facilities, had been going on for two weeks without any problems before disaster struck on Thursday, December 12.

But the final post they hammered in hit the sewer, which is not marked on any of the plans. A hole opened up around it and the water drained out from the basin and feeder canal.

That night, some of the boaters moored up noticed that the water level was quite low and by Friday, December 13, a stretch of the canal, from the basin up to The Commandery, was completely drained.

Some were left stranded in the mud following the drama and waited on their boats for the repairs, which started on Wednesday, December 18, to be completed.

A stretch of canal, from the basin to The Commandery, has been left empty to investigate the hole around the pipe, which is thought to be around 120 years old.