No one would be surprised to hear that there is a load of old rubbish at the bottom of a canal, but when one Paris waterway was drained, there were some remarkable finds.
The Canal Saint-Martin, in the city’s 10th arrondissement, is being cleaned out for the first time since 2001.
At the last cleaning, 40 tons of waste - mud, sludge and trash - was removed and treated.
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According to the Mail, the last time the canal was drained, it revealed items including gold coins, a WW1 shell and even a car.
While the past decade-and-a-half hasn’t yielded quite such exciting finds, the draining has revealed a veritable treasure trove of items, wheelie bins, bicycles and even mopeds…
Debris Emerges From Drained Paris Canal
The Canal Saint-Martin runs through one of Paris’ trendiest areas, where locals pay as much as €10,000 (£7,300) per square metre for properties overlooking the water, according to the Telegraph.
The canal was completed in 1825, 23 years after its construction began on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte, who wanted to reinforce the city's supply of drinking water.
The Associated Press reported that it will be closed until the beginning of April, according to the Paris mayor's office.