 Thus the navigation was not profitable as a business, but most of the investors had coal to sell, and the river enabled them to do that.Leigh continued to invest in the navigation throughout his ownership, and this was probably as a result of his trading activities in coal.Once the new cuts were completed as part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal takeover, coal traffic increased steadily, although the river was still used for a while, as mineowners did not immediately build new wharfs on the new canal.