Waterways

This week’s spill of toxic chemicals into our canal in Walsall will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the canal and the wildlife that lives there. News coverage and the immediate emergency response to this major incident have focused on public safety – contacting boat owners in the affected area and advising local residents to…

Divers have taken to the water as we carry out repairs to Weston Lock on the River Avon just outside of Bath. Diver maintenance Weston Lock River Avon Kennet & Avon Canal The Grade II listed lock is one of 104 locks between Bristol and the River Thames at Reading which make up the Kennet…

Weeks before a major artwork is installed on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, images have been released showing the giant loop-de-loop steel narrowboat being built. This will be the first artwork on water by ‘Art’s Master Illusionist’ British artist Alex Chinneck. The impressive canal boat artwork measures 13 metres long and six metres high. It…

We are currently fighting a battle against invasive weeds across our waterways in London & South East. Growing rapidly in the summer and able to quickly cover the surface of canals, the weeds impede the passage of boats and a pose a threat to the wildlife that flourishes along the nation’s manmade canals. Removing the…

An electric fleet on the Seine for the Paris Olympic Games by Kevin Desmond This summer has seen some great rallies for electric boats: 34 e-boats cruised around the island of Venice, 65 e-boats teams competed at the Monaco Solar Energy Boat Challenge, then on July 23rd, despite heavy rain, watched by 326,000 riverside spectators…

We’re calling for a joined-up approach to meet service needs. Boaters living on the UK’s waterways face significant challenges accessing financial services, medical support, and benefits, according to the our census of boaters on our national canal network. The nation’s largest canal charity is calling on national and local government and others, such as health…

We’ve started a six-week programme of repairs to Sellars Swing Bridge, which carries Sellars Road over the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. Strengthening the bridge Vehicles have got heavier over the years and their increased weight has taken a toll on the condition of the bridge, which connects Hardwicke and Quedgeley with Elmore. We are making…

We’re calling on the thousands of people who regularly visit its canals in the West Midlands to report any suspected wildlife crime they see to the West Midlands Police. Tragic deaths of cygnets on canal Bodies of four cygnets (young swans) were found on the Wyrley & Essington Canal in Pelsall and Brownhills. Reports suggest…

We are announcing that 736 miles of our canal and river navigations have been awarded prestigious Green Flag status by Keep Britain Tidy. Maintaining our Green Flag Status We have held all our existing miles of Green Flags, with waterways across England and Wales maintaining the standard required for the international quality mark for parks…

We’re fighting the tide to ensure that the Ribble Link in Lancashire, which connects the Lancaster Canal to the national waterways network, receives important maintenance to allow it to reopen for boats. Our engineers responded to reports of an issue with the Sea Lock Gate at the entrance to the Ribble Link. This lock gate…