A historic UK paper company has closed its doors after nearly 100 years in business Slater Harrison and sister company Webmaster were shuttered last week The Slater Harrison business was originally established in Bollington Cheshire in 1929 and started off making laminated display boards used for handwritten window signs It moved into its Lowerhouse Mills site in the 1930s Slater Harrison’s paper and card product range included ColourMount used in framing; the Centura range of papers featuring fluorescents with CenturaNeon (formerly DayGlo); and Educraft coloured paper and card used in nurseries and other educational settings The firm also offered a range of contract services spanning sheeting Parent company LS Dixon Group acquired Webmaster in 2000 to add self-adhesive products for the label and tape industries Managing director James Braddock had been with the firm for more than 30 years having begun working there when he was still in sixth form Slater Harrison and Webmaster will close their doors for the final time after 95 years in the trade I've been here since I left school and it's been a wonderful experience suppliers and customers for contributing to my time here.” He described the past five years as being “incredibly turbulent for the trade as a whole” and said even the good years had taken their toll “As I step down from my role as MD I look back proud of my team for everything we did in very difficult circumstances to try to avoid this situation.” A paper industry source commented: “It’s sad seeing another British manufacturer disappear.” LS Dixon Group’s accounts for calendar year 2023 showed sales of £11.16m and an operating loss of £354,194 The prior year sales had been £11.85m with an operating profit of £335,595 while the prior year loss was £846,181 after a £1.3m hit related to its defined benefit pension scheme At the December 2023 balance sheet date the pension scheme had a deficit of nearly £2.5m Slater Harrison was the biggest part of the group The Lowerhouse Mills freehold property was valued at £3.8m In the strategic report director Colin Dixon said at the time of writing management actions had been taken to restore profitability and were beginning to bear fruit A new corrugator production area was also being developed with the aim of boosting its offering to the education market and also to supply bespoke packaging material It's not clear why the decision was made to shut down the two businesses Administrators Simon Jagger and Mark Supperstone from Evelyn Partners were appointed at Slater Harrison & Co Ltd and Webmaster Ltd on 22 January Printweek welcomes informed debate, but please read our House Rules before posting Printweek is the premier website for the print industry Drone footage showed how fields near the village of Little Bollington were inundated with water pouring from the Bridgewater Canal Cheshire Police said nearby properties were evacuated and a section of the M56 had to be closed It came on the same day that Greater Manchester police declared a major incident due to floodwater trapping people in their homes across the north west of England ShareSaveExperience the VE Day flypast from inside a Red Arrows cockpit in 360 videoExperience flying over London with a Red Arrows pilot in our special immersive video from the cockpit. 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Changes to household waste recycling centres in Cheshire East have come into effect today (5 August) More information – including the link to the booking system – is available on the council's website The changes to  HWRCs are being introduced on a temporary and trial basis to ensure essential savings are made in 2024/25. The council is currently forecasting a funding gap of £100m over the next four years and must continue to make difficult decisions to ensure it can continue to support those who need help the most chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee said: “We have been working hard to reduce the impact the emergency closure of some of our  HWRCs may have and have introduced a number of changes.  “This includes the booking system for visiting  HWRCs at weekends and Bank Holidays as well as for the mobile  HWRC for the Bollington “I would like to reassure residents that the online process for booking a slot is quick and easy We have also updated our website with lots of information about how the system works “This includes information about what residents will need to take with them to the HWRC and when and where the mobile  HWRC will be.” Cllr Warren added: “Before residents make a trip to a HWRC I also encourage them to think about whether any of the items they are wanting to get rid of could be given a new lease of life instead.  “There are so many options to reduce our waste and rethink recycling The changes that came into effect today have been introduced separately to an ongoing review of HWRCs .  Throughout the emergency closures and as part of the ongoing review of HWRCs the council will continue to engage with town councils to explore opportunities for working in partnership to support  HWRC services in their local areas.  Cheshire East Council is committed to equality and diversity © Cheshire East Council Bridgewater Canal collapse in Little Bollington(Image: Manchester Evening News)The devastating impact of the collapse of the Bridgewater canal near a small town has been laid bare One side of the canal embankment imploded near the village of Little Bollington The location is just a few hundred yards from the popular Swan with Two Nicks pub Both the canal and the River Bollin are nearby the large surrounding fields of the canal remain under water as a result of the collapse the larger field directly opposite and a pedestrian pathway closer to the pub Muddy brown water rendered the fields inaccessible and the path between the fields was partially obstructed by standing water The section of the canal which had breached the field remained open Families and dog walkers who lived nearby walked past in Wellington boots whilst stopping to take pictures Bridgewater Canal collapse in Little Bollington(Image: Manchester Evening News)Article continues below“It’s awful,” he added a car appeared abandoned in some partial flooding whilst nearby farming fields were also full of standing water The canal itself was flowing at a higher level with a lot of trees covered by the current Cheshire Police had closed the A56 whilst investigators carried out assessments on the surrounding bridges to make sure it was safe Staff from the National Trust were also in attendance from Timperley was out walking his dog at around 9am on Wednesday when he came across the scene He said: "It looked like a bomb had gone off." The Bridgewater Canal near Little Bollington today and it was breached when swollen by heavy overnight rain ‌"It is part of the canal that runs around Dunham Massey Either side is banked up and it goes across a small valley When I turned up one side of the embankment had collapsed As I was walking along the towpath I was thinking the canal does not normally flow like this and the level was a lot lower than normal Then I could hear running water like a waterfall I know the River Bollin runs underneath and thought that must be flowing really heavy then "Then as I carried on walking I could see how it had come in on itself Where the steel supports were for the canal groundwork the embankment had just collapsed I could see a tree had fallen down and the footpath had disappeared "The water has flooded all the fields next to it and was stretching to the wall where Dunham Massey Park is I understand this part of the canal is not part of the Canal and River Trust I spoke to a guy who was moored up near it and I think it is Peel who owns it "When I walked further up the canal they had stop locks and either farmers or canal workers were putting them in to try and stop the flow. As I walked back towards Altrincham the level of the canal had drastically dropped All the fields were totally flooded." Officers remain on the scene as part of the clean up In January 2021 Storm Christoph brought exceptionally wet weather to the region causing the Swan with Two Nicks pub to flood The canal last burst in 1971, when it was closed for two years for repairs which cost £250,000.