Waterways

We’ve launched a £4 million dredging programme on Gloucester Docks and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal to restore navigation depths and address significant silt build-up after recent droughts. The works The work is the second phase of a recovery dredge following exceptionally dry summers in 2025 and 2026, when silt entered the Docks while water…

A new volunteer Citizens’ Boater Panel, to help shape our upcoming consultation on creating a clearer, fairer licensing system, has brought together a broad range of boaters from across the canal network. Forty boaters have been selected from nearly 1,200 applicants, using an independent process designed to ensure a wide range of boating experiences, lifestyles…

Plans will restore historic buildings, create new opportunities for the community and keep the yard working. Plans to secure the future of one of the canal network’s most historic working yards are moving ahead after we were awarded £4,540,000 by National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the delivery phase of our…

Looking for spooky days out this October? Visit Foxton Locks, where a programme of themed activities will bring Halloween fun to one of Leicestershire’s most iconic waterside destinations. Throughout October half-term, we’re hosting a series of Halloween craft sessions, alongside a spectacular Foxton Fright Fayre, offering plenty of opportunities for families to get creative and…

The local community around Llanymynech was given a look at progress on the new Carreghofa Lane Bridge, as construction continues as part of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. The open day More than 60 people visited the site to meet our colleagues and main contractor Kier to see the progress being made on the…

We’re seeking to inspire greater public action and map community-led efforts to help protect Britain’s longest network of freshwater habitat. Our new research show that, without action, an estimated 39 million items of litter would accumulate on our waterways and their adjacent towpaths each year, with plastics accounting for around 40% of litter recorded. Annually,…

We’re highlighting the support available to people living and travelling on the waterways through our dedicated welfare team. Over recent years, our welfare team has grown from a single officer to five members, with a sixth due to join shortly. The increase reflects growing demand for support and our commitment to helping boaters access the…

Canal charity appeals for volunteers to operate UK’s deepest lock and to help conserve water along the Rochdale Canal in Yorkshire Canal & River Trust, the UK’s largest waterways charity, is appealing for more volunteer lock keepers to help navigation through the UK’s deepest lock on the historic Rochdale Canal in West Yorkshire. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Tuel Lane…

Nearly 1,200 boaters have signed up to help shape our upcoming licensing consultation, showing strong interest in plans to create a clearer, fairer system for all waterway users. The consultation, due to launch in December 2026, is being developed with boaters and boating organisations following recommendations made by the Independent Commission on Boat Licensing. As…

We’ve published our Annual Report & Accounts for 2025/26. The Report highlights a year in which extreme weather tested the resilience of our canal network while underlining the increasingly important role waterways play in supporting nature, communities and the management of water in a changing climate. A summer of drought The year 2025/26 was dominated…