A DEAFENING “clash “of bells will ring through Bingley when the town celebrates the Leeds and Liverpool Canal’s 200th anniversary with a special festival in a month’s time.

The towpath between the Five and Three Rise Locks will be jammed with stalls and entertainment on Sunday, October 16, as will Market Square and Bingley Arts Centre where tourism chief Sir Gary Verity will officially open the Canal Festival.

And when the Leeds-Liverpool Canal Society’s historic narrowboat the Kennet, arrives at the bottom of the Three Rise Locks at 1.15pm all the bells in the parish church will be rung simultaneously.

“It will be extremely an loud ‘clash’ to replicate the sound of a cannon, which was set off when the first boat came through 200 years ago,” said Linda Chapman, churchwarden at Bingley All Saints’ church.

Spearheaded by Bradford Council and the Canal & Rivers Trust, Bingley Canal Festival has brought the whole community together to create a memorable event, said Councillor Edwina Simpson of Bingley Town Council.

“Lots of volunteers have come forward for this event which will see the town and the towpath full of stalls and things to see and do including boat trips. It’s all being driven by local organisations and everyone’s got involved to create a great focus of attention on the town,” she said, adding the Kennet would make its way to the top of the famous Five Rise Locks by 3pm.

“We’re supporting it just as everyone else is,” said Bingley Chamber of Trade president Howard Martin. “It’s not just one organisation, what’s fantastic is it really involves the whole town.”

Ward Councillor David Heseltine (Con, Bingley) said: “The canal brings so many people into the town to marvel at the engineering of the locks, surrounded by beautiful countryside.”

A Canal & River Trust spokesman said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bradford Council in one of the canal’s most iconic settings.”