 Most of the freight carried was coal from local collieries but , as the mines reached the end of their working lives sections of the canal fell into disuse and disrepair and it was officially abandoned in 1961 . In 1987 a society was formed with the aim of restoring the canal for leisure use and , in 2006 , restoration began in the area around the junction with the River Irwell in Salford . The canal is currently navigable as far as Oldfield Road , Salford . 
