sentences:  When commercial carrying declined after the Second World War, sections of the Rochdale, Ashton and Peak Forest Canals that make up the urban part of the ring had gradually fallen into disuse, and by the early 1960s were impassable, with little depth of water and many locks in an unusable condition.There was a risk that the canals would be abandoned, and infilled, as they were becoming stinking eyesores.Perseverance by the IWA and the Peak Forest Canal Society paid off, and on 1 April 1974, following restoration, the ring was re-opened to navigation.