WATCHET Harbour will remain in use while the damaged marina gate is examined by experts.

The tidal gate that controls the tidal flow from the Bristol Channel in and out of the marina broke in early September, resulting in restricted access for boats.

After talks between Watchet Marina, Watchet Boat Owners’ Association and commercial fishermen on Tuesday evening, a plan is being worked on to ensure users of the marina can still access it.

A marina spokesman said: “We are going to remove the top stoplog from the current barrier so boat users are free to come and go whenever they please.”

A stoplog is a hydraulic barrier used in floodgates to control and adjust the water level.

Currently, members of the marina team are going out on to the water to remove the barrier by hand to allow boats to pass through the marina.

The spokesperson said: “As the winter weather sets in, it’s getting less safe for the team to do this, so we have made the decision to leave the top stoplog open at all times.

“This will affect the water level in the marina but we have to make the best of the situation we have.”

Last week, the damaged tidal gate was floated out of position by airbags and transported to Hunton Engineering, in Kent.

While in Kent, the tidal gate will undergo forensic examination and tests to find out exactly what is wrong.

The gate weighs around seven tonnes and required a team of five members of staff from Exmoor Welding working for ten hours to remove the gate from the water.

The tidal gate was installed in 2001 and is supposed to last 50 years.

According to the designers, it is the first of its kind to break in the past 50 years.

The team at Watchet Marina is hoping to find out the results of the tests next week.

Until then, it is unsure how much repairs will cost.