only open for about to Hordley wharf but there were complaints and the issue was referred to the Board of Trade. They ruled in 1920 that repairs were not justified and so the arm stayed closed. The Shropshire Union was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway in late 1922 and itself became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) under the 1923 grouping of the railways. Another breach of the canal occurred a mile (1.6 km) from Frankton Junction on 5 February 1936. The owners paid compensation to George Beck, the main user of the canal, and applied for a warrant of abandonment but this was refused. The LMS finally obtained an act of abandonment in 1944 which gave them powers to close the whole of the canal from Frankton Junction southwards, including the Weston Arm, as part of a plan to close of canal. The act of abandonment allowed bridges to be lowered although none of the route of the canal was sold at that time. The Transport Act 1947 resulted in the nationalisation of the railways and canals with control of the Montgomery Canal passing to the British Transport Commission in 1948 and ultimately to British Waterways in 1963 following the passing of the Transport Act 1962. The Transport Act 1968 classified canals into one of three categories and the Montgomery Canal became a Remainder Waterway meaning that British Waterways could only carry out certain statutory work on it. As a result of the act, the final to Newtown were sold off. Restoration Since 1969, when the canal through Welshpool was threatened by a proposed road bypass, the canal has been gradually – but so far only partially – restored for use by pleasure boaters. In some places, the canal has been filled in, roads have been built over the channel, bridges have been lowered and infrastructure such as pipes and manhole covers have been built in the canal bed presenting several obstacles to restoration. The end section from Freestone Lock to Newtown is dry and no longer in Canal & River Trust ownership. In 1969, there were plans to convert the bed of the canal through Welshpool into a road and the Welshpool By-Pass Action Committee was formed to oppose this. They requested the help of the Shropshire Union Canal Society who organised a "Big Dig" at Welshpool which was attended by over