 Staveley was also involved with the Leicester and the Melton navigations, but was sacked by the Melton company in 1795.A report into his work on the Melton line and the Oakham line was critical of him, and he resigned as engineer, to be replaced in late 1797 by William Dunn of Sheffield.Although Dunn had no previous experience at building canals, he saw the work through to a successful conclusion.