Paris's great canal cleanup: hipster haunt St-Martin to be drained

Four-month operation to clean waterway that has attracted tourists, fans of the film Ami(C)lie - and piles of rubbish

Authorities in Paris are to begin draining the canal St-Martin, a favourite haunt of hipsters in north-eastern Paris, in an attempt to refurbish its locks and remove rubbish.

Commissioned by Napoleon in the early 19th century to provide fresh drinking water, the canal in the 10th arrondissement was paid for with a new tax on wine. It went on to become a transport artery, but faced being decommissioned when boat traffic declined in the 1960s.