The Inland Waterways Association

Author: Neil Edwards

  • 50 Years since IWA members open Canal Museum

    50 Years since IWA members open Canal Museum

    Dr David Owen’s Thames boating holidays of the 1950s were followed by canal cruising in his own boat, and by the late 1960s he had become a noted author of inland waterway books. He was a geologist with a museum career in Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester, and enthusiastic chair of IWA’s Manchester Branch. In September 1970, he led a small team of waterway supporters in the North West, some gathered from his night school talks at Manchester University on Industrial Archaeology and Inland Waterways, to form what would become the Boat Museum Society with the aim of opening the North Western Museum of Inland Navigation, at a site eventually secured from British Waterways at Ellesmere Port, where there was a range of disused waterway buildings at the junction of the Shropshire Union Canal’s derelict docks with the Manchester Ship Canal. It took until 1974 before an intense period of work party activities could start at the planned museum site, but there had been earlier activity elsewhere around the country rescuing old historic boats that might otherwise have been destroyed.

    [The photo, above, shows founding Museum members, (from the left) Tony Lewery, Peter Froud, David Owen, Harry Arnold and Tony Hirst at the unveiling of a milepost on the Shropshire Union Canal at Ellesmere Port – the museum’s other co-founder, Edward Paget-Tomlinson was unable to be present for the occasion]

    By 1976, the museum was ready for its formal opening by Sonia Rolt, widow of IWA co-founder Tom Rolt. David Owen was now elevated to IWA Manchester Branch’s President, and chair of the Museum’s Board of Management. The Island Warehouse had been secured from vandals, the top basin cleared and the Toll House restoration begun. The Museum’s exhibition had been designed by Tony Lewery in the ground floor of the Toll House. It was staffed by volunteers and initially open only at weekends. At the end of the summer, the museum closed for the season, but the restoration of the Toll House, and care for the collection of boats which had been brought to Ellesmere Port, continued. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited in November 1979.

    In January 1981, the Boat Museum Trust, a partnership between NWMIN, the very supportive Ellesmere and Neston Borough Council and Cheshire County Council, was established to administer the Museum and Tony Hirst was appointed Director. This relationship between the Museum and the two local authorities was crucial in ensuring that the Museum became firmly recognised as an asset to the local community. Government funding aimed at regenerating Merseyside in 1981-82 enabled restoration of the remaining dock buildings, and there were visits from government minister Michael Heseltine and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. New exhibitions were opened and The Boat Museum, as it had become known, won a number of prestigious awards, including the Council of Europe’s Museum of Europe award jointly with the Museum du Vivant du Canal du Centre in Belgium for 1984.

    [The above photo show the boat builders’ workshop at the Island Warehouse at the Museum in its early years – IWA Collection]

    1990 saw the opening of the David Owen Archive (now National Waterway Archive) on the ground floor of the restored slipway workshops by the Duke of Westminster. This is now the central archive for Canal & River Trust’s historic records, and also holds some IWA archives and IWA’s historic book collection on permanent loan.

    Running the museum was not always plain sailing, however, and the museum’s survival became more challenging in the late 1980s and 1990s, when competition for people’s leisure time meant less income for running and developing. One of the museum’s many challenges was getting suitable insurance cover for its wide-ranging activities, which was covered by IWA’s then expanding insurance arrangements. Tony Hirst’s success in managing the museum led him to become chairman of the Association of Independent Museums between 1990 and 1994 and this led to many other museums around the UK joining with IWA’s insurance arrangements to improve buying power with insurers. For several years, IWA’s insurance arrangements extended to cover even the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. Tony Hirst’s work was recognised with an OBE in 1995 for Services to Museums.

    [The photo above shows the short boat ‘George‘ being prepared for exhibit at the Museum – by Harry Arnold / IWA Collection]

    By the late 1990s, both the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port, and British Waterways’ Museum at Gloucester Docks were running at a deficit and their future as separate museums had become unsustainable. Increasing running costs and greater competition for visitors’ leisure time had taken their toll. In 1999, it was agreed that both museums would join together, along with BW’s small canal museum at Stoke Bruerne, under a charity The Waterways Trust (TWT), controlled by British Waterways. Tony Hirst retired as Director of the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port at the end of 1999. TWT was then absorbed into Canal & River Trust shortly after the latter became operational in 2012, which has ensured the Museum’s long-term survival.

    [The top photo shows celebrations at the official opening – by W. Broadhurst / IWA Collection]

    [Photos below show another royal visitor, the Duke of Gloucester – IWA Collection; and museum exhibits ‘Gifford’ and Mossdale. Gifford was given to the museum by co-founder Edwards Paget-Tomlinson – photo by Harry Arnold]

  • IWA Navigation Committee News

    IWA Navigation Committee News

    In order to make IWA’s navigation-related campaigning work more visible, a Navigation section will be included in future editions of the Bulletin email alongside the Restoration and Environment sections.

    1. Water resources

    The Sustainability & Environment Group now leads in the area of water resources for IWA, but there are many aspects relevant to navigation.

    • Water Abstraction

    Navigation Committee has been aware for some time of the view expressed by CRT Chief Executive Campbell Robb that the forthcoming renewal of CRT’s abstraction licences issued by the Environment Agency (EA) represents the single biggest threat to the canal network. The reason for this is partly the effort and cost required to renew them, but primarily the potential risk to water supplies from onerous conditions being imposed such as reduced abstraction or the requirement for fish screening. The latter has emerged as a live issue, firstly on the Monmouthshire, Brecon & Abergavenny Canals where feeds from rivers and streams have been taken out of use in preference to the installation and maintenance of very fine screens. More recently, restricted opening hours have been imposed at Diglis Locks at the junction of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal with the River Severn, because of restrictions on the use of back-pumping without fish screening being implemented. CRT’s Head of Boating and Customer Service described this in Navigation Committee’s recent meeting as a very concerning situation which will be replicated elsewhere across the network and will impose millions of pounds of extra cost on CRT – costs which were of course not foreseen when CRT was established as a charity.

    It has become apparent through these events and through consultation documents that EA appears to be protecting river environments over other aquatic environments such as canals in water abstraction, despite canals being long-standing legitimate and necessary abstractors of water which provide environmental benefits in their own right. This point was raised in Navigation Committee’s recent liaison meeting with Defra’s inland waterways team, who were sympathetic to the view and said they had been in discussion with CRT for several years. It appears that there may be an important role for IWA in pressing CRT’s case that canal water supplies need to be protected. The point was explicitly included in IWA’s response to the latest EA consultation, the Consultation on Significant Water Management Issues, which was submitted on 18th May.

    • Water Retention

    A draft document setting out IWA’s proposals for improving the security of water supply for navigation on CRT’s canal system had been discussed at the last Navigation Committee meeting and the content agreed. The format was subsequently developed and the document sent to the CRT National Boating Manager with a formal response for feedback from the National Hydrology Manager and the Operations Performance Director.

    • Water Transfer

    Navigation Committee noted that IWA’s response to the Grand Union Canal Transfer Phase Two Public Consultation had been led by Graham Heald and submitted on 30th March and a news item had been published. IWA called for a more comprehensive and transparent demonstration of the engineering of the canal section of the scheme to show how the water flows would be managed and controlled, both to ensure navigation within the transfer length and to maintain or preferably enhance water supplies to the wider canal network to London, Oxford, Northampton, Warwick, Leicester and Shardlow. IWA Northampton Branch also submitted a response focusing particularly on local points.

    • CRT work on Water Resources

    The CRT Council Boater Representatives group had a special meeting on water resources on 20th April, attended by Sue O’Hare as IWA nominee on Council and Graham Heald by invitation.

    A report was provided on CRT’s incident review of the 2025 drought. It had been found that knowledge transfer and collaboration across the organisation had worked well, together with strong leadership roles. Areas for improvement included asset reliability, data and water level and flow measuring (SCADA) limitations, and communications (where it had proved challenging to achieve the right balance between certainty and comprehensiveness). A positive outcome had been the addition of new roles in the National Hydrology team. A webpage of drought FAQs has been produced.

    In terms of the outlook for 2026, the wet winter had helped to replenish reservoirs but it had been followed by a dry spring. The position of reservoir work had improved over last year with some works being finished, meaning that Toddbrook Reservoir could be refilled and brought back into use and capacity restrictions on some other reservoirs lifted.

    A revised Water Resources Strategy was already overdue and still in preparation, with CRT seeking clarity from EA over the Water Resources National Framework which imposes new and unique expectations on CRT.

    • Condition of the waterways

    The two major breaches (the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch and the Bridgewater Canal at Little Bollington) continue to cause disruption for both businesses and individual boaters. CRT appears to be making rapid progress at Whitchurch, but despite repeated assurances that the Bridgewater Canal Company still intends to reopen its canal by the end of 2026 there is still no visible work being carried out yet. More positive news was the reopening of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal ahead of schedule after the repair of the collapsed bywash at Penkridge.

    Other issues discussed around the network included the lack of announcements about repairs to the Anderton Boat Lift, the water level problems at New Islington Marina in Manchester, the ongoing closure of the Tame Valley Canal at Spouthouse Embankment, the problems at Keadby Lock and the Vazon sliding rail bridge on the Stainforth & Keadby Canal, the deteriorating condition of locks on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal, the closure of the Avon Navigation for the rebuilding of Nafford Lock, the reopening of Baits Bite Lock on the River Cam and Salter’s Lode Lock on the Middle Level Navigations following work on the guillotine gates.

    It is very noticeable that CRT is now talking of difficult conversations about less well-used waterways, such as the Dee Branch which it has said is effectively permanently closed. Developments elsewhere are equally concerning. The Great Ouse Boating Association views the decline in the condition of EA assets on the Great Ouse as having reached a critical point and will be highlighting this to politicians in its joint campaign cruise with Fund Britain’s Waterways in July. The Basingstoke Canal has recently lost its manager and the position will not be filled.

    • Closure of CRT Customer Service Facilities (CSFs)

    Following a consultation with boaters in 2022 on the minimum standard for CSFs, CRT announced that showers, toilets and laundry facilities would be closed across the network from November 2025 and invited expressions of interest from other organisations in running them. Navigation Committee was concerned at the time that the closures appeared rushed and it was unclear that the published process had been followed, and requested that CRT answer a set of questions. Since then, there has been widespread dissatisfaction and discussion on social media, and Navigation Committee received a specific enquiry highlighting the impact in areas where many boaters have small cruisers in which it is impossible to install usable facilities. A response from CRT was still awaited but a specific commitment was made in the recent Navigation Committee meeting with the National Boating Team.

    OTHER POINTS

    • CRT’s Independent Commission on the Future of Boat Licensing

    As previously reported, a small subgroup of Navigation Committee is taking thoughts forward so that IWA is ready to respond to further consultations at the appropriate time. CRT has recently appointed a Boating Transformation Programme Manager, Alice Hamilton. Alice will lead the work on communications and engagement. The plan is for a pre-consultation with national boating organisations followed by a 3-month consultation over summer, during which CRT is hoping for face-to-face contact with boaters as well as online.

    • Residential boating/mooring

    The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways meeting on 14th April explored residential boating, with presentations by the Residential Boat Owners Association and the National Bargee Travellers Association. The complexity of the subject has since been highlighted in mainstream media after it became known that the Leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, may not have paid Council Tax that was due.

    • Fishing matches and visitor moorings

    A CRT stoppage notice recently stated that a fishing match was to be held right across the visitor moorings on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Rugeley, which are intensively used by boaters to visit the town centre shops. The issue was resolved following contact by Helen Whitehouse with the CRT West Midlands Regional Director, but the general principle was raised by Navigation Committee in its meeting with the National Boating Team. CRT confirmed that the principle agreed by British Waterways of not allowing fishing matches to be held over designated visitor moorings still stands, and that the stoppage notice in question had used the wrong template and given an unintended message.

    • Boat Safety Scheme consultation on Smoke Alarms

    IWA’s response to the BSS’s consultation was submitted on 22nd April, in support of introducing a new mandatory safety standard for the correct number of suitable working smoke alarm(s) in good condition.

    • Skippers Guide to Trent Falls

    The Skippers Guide to the Passage Planning and Transit of Trent Falls produced by Brian Sharples and endorsed by Navigation Committee has been published here.

    • Decarbonisation of the Inland Waterways

    Navigation Committee noted the adoption of the Sustainable Boating Group Policy for the Decarbonisation of the UK Inland Waterways Leisure Fleet  by trustees as an IWA policy. It has been submitted to the Department for Transport as part of their Call for Evidence on the Decarbonisation of Smaller Vessels.

    • Environment Agency National Waterways Forum and National Waterways Advisory Group meeting 25th March (attended by Sue O’Hare as IWA nominee)

    The increased focus, importance and funding being given to navigation by EA is good to see, though there is still much to be done. EA’s CEO Philip Duffy has directly committed to improving the navigation service, which has resulted in new posts and transformation programmes as well as increased funding.

    • Resource funding £21m for 2026/27 (up from £16m last year and £13m the year before)
    • Capital funding £33m for 2026/27 (up from £25m in 2025/26)
    • This is the first year of a 3-year settlement, so in principle the same amount of Grant In Aid should be received for each of the next three years, albeit subject to change because of external pressures.

    Asset management is the first of the transformation programmes (Project Aurora) including harmonisation of the treatment of assets across EA and development of condition assessments harnessing data and digitisation. EA will be moving to Reliability Centred Maintenance, i.e. inspecting each asset as dictated by its reliability rather than at fixed intervals.

    Long-standing work on removing sunken and abandoned boats and on compliance is now coming to fruition. A mooring strategy and a commercial strategy are in development.

    A 20-year vision statement has been formally approved: “thriving, valued navigable waterways”. Next will be a 5-year strategy for the management of navigable waterways and associated assets, with four “ambitions”:

    • Open, reliable waterways
    • More financially sustainable
    • Modern, streamlined service
    • Adapt and innovate for the future

    The next step is the first dedicated director, Simon Hawkins, who will lead the navigation teams, and who started on 1st April (previously, navigation was split across directorates). However this positive news was subsequently tempered by the discovery that the Deputy Director Asset Operations Service, Lindsey Sayner, who has been chairing NWF meetings, has now been seconded to another organisation and the role has been taken over by Mark Ross, who is currently unknown to IWA.

    • Navigation Committee six-monthly meeting with Defra inland waterways team – 1st May

    As previously noted, the IWA Waterways Directory and the GIS files behind the map had been provided to a new member of the Defra team who is working to understand which waterways are managed by a navigation authority and which are unregulated. The data is being used for exploring access policy and ways of increasing access to unregulated waterways.

    The Defra team is still in discussion with CRT about the delivery mechanism for future grant funding and hopes to sign the grant agreement for 2027-2037 before the end of 2026. The additional £6.5m funding which was announced in February was said to have become available internally and was decided to be about the right amount to cover the additional costs because of climate change, hence it was provided as capital investment for dealing with the additional high cost of asset failures.

    • Navigation Committee liaison meeting with the CRT National Boating team – 13th May

    No further details have yet become available of CRT’s management restructuring beyond the announcements about the CRT top team by Campbell Robb in a video message to volunteers on 23rd April.

    Following a request by Navigation Committee, CRT is working on reinstating the total duration of unplanned stoppages as a KPI as well as the number.

    The Boater App is in development phase with MySociety and FixMyStreet, and is to be launched this year.

    CRT has temporarily taken over control and management of the wharf, facilities and moorings at Sherborne Wharf in Birmingham to ensure that boaters can continue to use them after the bankruptcy of Sherborne Wharf Ltd.

    Navigation Committee raised a complaint made about the substantial increase fees for events held on its property, but CRT reiterated that the policy is to cover costs and not to make a profit. Subsidy was no longer affordable.

    Forthcoming meetings

    • CRT National Boating Organisations meeting – Hatton, 10th June (Roger Stocker to represent IWA)
    • EA National Waterways Forum & National Waterways Advisory Group extraordinary meeting on national navigation strategy – 10th June (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
    • Navigation Committee online meeting – 8th July

    Sue O’Hare
    Chair of Navigation Committee
    25th May 2026

    [The photo shows the boaters facilities at Marsworth – by Alison Smedley]

    The report from the March 2026 Navigation Committee meeting is available here.

    The report from the January 2026 Navigation Committee meeting is available here.

    Reports from pre-2026 Navigation Committee meetings are available here.

  • IWA Milton Keynes Branch Clean-up fills two 16-tonne lorries

    IWA Milton Keynes Branch Clean-up fills two 16-tonne lorries

    Branch members were joined by volunteers from The Parks Trust, Buckingham Canal Society and the Electra Community Boat.  The event was supported by Canal & River Trust, and was sponsored by hire boat operators Wyvern Shipping Co Ltd.  Canal & River Trust lent its usual pre- and post-event support, but was unable to field staff or volunteers at the event itself.

    Wyvern Shipping also provided a tug, hire-boat Mallard, to tow the hopper, from which volunteers dragged the canal with grappling hooks to retrieve sunken items.  The hopper also received bags of rubbish collected by volunteers walking the towpath.  A Buckingham Canal Society workboat that was to collect any rubbish from the far side of the canal was unfortunately disabled by an underwater obstruction on the first morning, but there was little to collect.  Much appreciated refreshments at each break were provided by the tea boat that led the convoy.

    The usual mix of discarded items were found, including several supermarket trolleys, six tyres, four electric hire scooters, three bicycles, an outboard motor, a plastic barrel, a motor bike frame, two folding chairs, traffic cones, a damaged and abandoned dinghy, timber and domestic rubbish.  Four sunken boats were seen during the Clean-up.  Some silting of parts of the route was noticed.

    At Cosgrove, the rubbish was unloaded on Monday 13th from the work boats by contractors Smith Recycling Ltd for disposal.  Although the total load was probably about 7 tonnes, it filled two 16-tonne grab lorries due to its bulk.

    There were fewer volunteers on hand than some previous years – around 18 on the first day, 12 on the second – as, fortunately, the amounts to be cleared have reduced over the years because the clearances have had a very positive effect and have encouraged other local community clean-ups in the area.

    IWA Milton Keynes Branch Chairman Tim Armstrong said, “There was enough rubbish to keep the volunteers happily occupied without being overworked.  My thanks go to everyone who took part, whether organising, litter picking. working on boats or providing refreshments.” IWA Milton Keynes Branch was founded in 1976, fifty years ago.  Its first Clean-up is believed to have taken place in 1977.  In following years, one-day Clean-ups were staged irregularly at spot locations in Milton Keynes, until 1997, when they were expanded to become highly organised two- or three-day yearly or twice-yearly events.  The Clean-ups help to keep the city’s stretch of the Grand Union Canal safe and attractive for all users afloat and ashore, but it is sad that some people still treat the canal and its surroundings as a convenient rubbish dump.

    [The main photo shows a hopper and tug at Bridge 71b – by Pete Bickers]

  • IWA says CRT ‘must take more proactive approach’ for the Wendover Arm

    IWA says CRT ‘must take more proactive approach’ for the Wendover Arm

    As well as IWA’s previously stated concerns about Canal & River Trust’s proposed implementation of its Restoration Development Plan, which so far has led to uncertainty and restoration schemes being delayed or even halted, along with reported inconsistencies between CRT regions, IWA has particular concerns for the situation on the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal.  Here, not only has CRT stopped all restoration work, and seemingly maintenance thereof, but it has closed, drained and fenced off the section of canal reopened amid much fanfare by Sir David Suchet in 2005.  CRT also forbade any boats over 40 foot in length from navigating the section of canal from Bulbourne Junction to the Stop Lock, which had previously never been closed to navigation, a restriction which was only lifted when IWA complained about it.

    The Wendover Arm was initially constructed as a feeder channel for the Grand Union Canal but was soon made fully navigable.  It then closed from the Stop Lock just above Tringford Pumping Station in 1904 owing to leakage through the canal bed.  In the 1980s, the South Bucks Section of IWA’s Hertfordshire Branch (later to become IWA Chiltern Branch) began to campaign for full restoration of the Wendover Arm, and some initial clearance work parties were held.  An early campaigning success was a navigable culvert under the then-planned A41 Aston Clinton bypass where IWA appeared at the public inquiry.  In 1989, Wendover Arm Trust was formed to campaign for full restoration of the Arm.  An early aim was to restore the lowered Little Tring road-bridge, and in 2005 this was achieved with the first section of the canal re-opened from the Stop Lock through to a new basin for winding craft beyond the restored Little Tring Bridge.  This work was enabled in part through fundraising by Wendover Arm Trust, and in part through a large donation by IWA utilising the proceeds of a substantial bequest by Tim Wilkinson, author of the post-war canal carrying book ‘Hold on a Minute’.  The author’s bequest to IWA included copyright of the book.

    Wendover Arm Trust then set about restoring the dry section of canal from Little Tring Bridge to Drayton Beauchamp, to specifications agreed by then British Waterways, and in recent years CRT, with a fabric liner and brick blocks, including rebuilding of wooden footbridges and other structures in brick, with various sections being tested for leaks, etc, as works progressed.  A section of canal that had been infilled with household rubbish in the 1920s was excavated and most of the material, now deemed hazardous, was removed by contractors, funded by a substantial grant from Hertfordshire County Council.  All this work was nearing completion, sections of canal rewatered and Wendover Arm Trust had expected to complete restoration and reopening of this section to the A41 bypass by about now.

    About two years ago, local Canal & River Trust management cited some Health & Safety and environmental concerns and asked Wendover Arm Trust to cease work.  Since then, there has been a dialogue between the Trust and CRT, with long delays by CRT to respond to matters, apparently because of ‘lack of resources’.  All the restored sections have been drained down and now have a layer of vegetation growing across the restored lining.  CRT has insisted that Wendover Arm Trust (now trading as Wendover Canal Trust), sign an onerous detailed licence agreement before restoration works can commence.  The Canal Trust eventually signed this agreement in September 2025, but CRT has yet to agree to Wendover Canal Trust recommencing work.  Meantime, a leak in the section of canal restored and reopened in 2005 was identified following notification by an adjacent landowner.  CRT commissioned a report and concluded the leak would cost £300k to fix, although the report has not been made available.  CRT’s response has been that fixing the leak is low priority, and so it has installed a rather permanent looking earth dam at the stop lock, drained the canal and erected what looks to be permanent wooden and mesh fencing around both sides of the drained canal for its entire section.  CRT says it has no intention of even reviewing the matter until at least 2027.

    Having closed and drained the previously restored section of canal, CRT sought to stop any boats longer than 40 foot from using any part of the Wendover Arm Canal – as stated in a notice that was erected at Bulbourne Junction.  Whilst accepting that there had been some shortcomings by Wendover Canal Trust, which the Trust was keen to rectify, IWA believes that CRT has badly mismanaged the situation and failed to take the necessary leadership to ensure full and timely repairs and restoration.  Rather, CRT has just put barriers in place, both physically and psychologically, thus demotivating local volunteers and supporters.  CRT’s response is that it has insufficient resources to do all that it wants, and the Wendover Arm is not a priority.  There is much damage to repair of CRT’s own making.  Frustrated and disappointed by the situation, IWA has raised the matter with CRT’s senior management in hopes that the situation will be addressed in a more positive and productive manner.

  • IWA Navigation Committee News

    IWA Navigation Committee News

    In all 25 narrowboats including two former working pairs made the journey along the Walsall Canal to the basin, where they were welcomed by the Mayor of Walsall. The campaign cruise attracted a good deal of interest and was covered by ITV Central News and the Express & Star local paper. A press release was subsequently issued and is available here.

    Hazel Owen (National Chair of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs and Chair of FBW) gave an update on the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign to Navigation Committee. Following this first FBW campaign cruise of 2026, other cruises were planned in London and on the Great Ouse alongside the main focus on north west waterways.

    Major discussion points included:

    1. Political lobbying

    The arrangements for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Waterways under the new Chair Bill Esterson MP were clarified and it was explained that representatives of organisations relevant to the matter in hand would be invited. It was agreed that all political parties should be approached for campaigning and lobbying purposes. The need for IWA to maintain a visible leadership role in the waterways sector through its campaigning was stressed.

    • Condition of the waterways

    Repairs of the two major breaches (the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch and the Bridgewater Canal at Little Bollington) are expected to take most of 2026, although the Canal & River Trust (CRT) is making much faster and much more visible progress on the former than Peel L&P is on the latter. Both are having a substantial effect on hire boat companies, since the Llangollen Canal and the Cheshire Ring are very popular cruising routes. This is exacerbated by the collapsed bywash at Penkridge on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal which severs the Four Counties Ring as well, though is scheduled to be reopened on 1st May.

    The Anderton Boat Lift between the River Weaver and the Trent & Mersey Canal is also scheduled to be closed all year. Fortunately CRT has managed to reopen Marsh Lock for booked passages, so the Weaver is no longer completely cut off from the rest of the network.

    In this light it is particularly pleasing to see major change starting in both CRT and the Environment Agency (EA) with the arrival of new senior management.

    The CRT Chair David Orr and CEO Campbell Robb have said that this needs to be a reset point, for both the way things are done and the way they are communicated. The Better Boating Plan has been expanded into a three-year Transforming the Boater Experience Programme, with a dedicated Programme Manager and a total budget allocation of £10m. CRT secured an additional one-off payment of £6.5m from Defra, reportedly as a result of starting to engage with government in a different way. The financial challenges are substantial though, and considerable work remains to be done to create a long-term sustainable plan with enough room for the substantial investment in the network that is needed.

    The EA CEO Philip Duffy has directly committed to improving the navigation service. The recent focus on navigation had already led to new roles including Deputy Directors for both Navigation Strategy and Navigation Operations. The National Waterways Forum meeting on 25th March heard that the first-ever dedicated director for navigation is shortly to be appointed, to bring together the navigation teams from different directorates. Several transformation programmes are under way, starting with asset management. A three-year settlement with increased resource and capital funding will start in 2026/27. A long period of work on compliance and enforcement is now coming to fruition, with well-publicised success in removing sunken and abandoned boats. Regular liaison meetings with CRT are being held at all levels, from quarterly meetings of Executive Directors to operational level. A statement from the River Thames Society on social media reported “a buoyant spirit in the [EA navigation] team… lots being done and many problems still to be tackled, but a positive mood running through the system”.

    • CRT’s Independent Commission on the Future of Boat Licensing

    As previously reported, a small subgroup of Navigation Committee is taking thoughts forward so that IWA is ready to respond to further consultations at the appropriate time. CRT is expecting to publish both its response to each of the 36 Commission recommendations and a timetable for engagement and consultation in May or June.

    • Residential boating and mooring

    The next meeting of the APPG is scheduled to be on Residential Boating, exploring issues affecting residential boating and moorings provision. Organisations with an interest in this area will be invited.

    • Water resources

    Water resources management continues to be a very significant topic, and although the Sustainability & Environment Group now leads in this area there are many aspects relevant to navigation.

    • IWA’s response to the Environment Agency consultation on Reserving Water Abstraction Rights was submitted in January and shared with CRT and the Wilts & Berks and Cotswolds Canals Trusts. It was also shared with Defra, with a cover note pointing out that IWA emphasises the need to protect long-established waterways infrastructure in its response, and is well aware of CRT’s concerns over the resource and cost implications of applying for its abstraction licences to be renewed, in addition to the possibility of onerous restrictions being imposed or even licences not being renewed. A summary article and link to the full response are available here.
    • IWA’s response to the consultation on proposed new Broad Oak Water reservoir in Kent was submitted in March, making the argument for protecting navigation on the Stour which has been hindered by eutrophication and siltation. A summary article and link to the full response are available here.
    • Navigation Committee agreed to pass the Environment Agency consultation on Significant Water Management Issues in River Basin Management Planning to the Sustainability & Environment Group, since the consultation is almost entirely related to environment, chemical and pollution issues.
    • Phil Sharpe had developed a draft document setting out IWA proposals for improving the security of water supply for navigation on CRT’s canal system. The document was agreed by Navigation Committee to be excellent and to be suitable for sending to CRT at CEO level in order to trigger discussions and action.
    • Graham Heald (IWA Water Lead) and Phil Sharpe have been progressing the IWA response to the Grand Union Canal Transfer Project Phase Two Public Consultation. Phil reported on the meeting with CRT and Affinity Water representatives the previous day. It had become apparent that much of the necessary technical work had already been done but was not documented in the consultation documents. This will be the main thrust of IWA’s response.

    OTHER POINTS

    • Navigation Committee agreed to recommend the reappointment of Sue O’Hare as a Member on the expiry of her term of office to Trustees.
    • Navigation Committee noted the resignation of Jessal Murarji as Honorary Consultant Engineer and Corresponding Member of Navigation Committee. Jessal had been representing the Honorary Consultant Engineers on Navigation Committee since July 2022. The Committee recorded its thanks to him, and expressed the hope that another way can be found to maintain a link with the Honorary Consultant Engineers.
    • Navigation Committee noted the submission of IWA’s response to the National Planning Policy Framework by the Planning Advisory Panel. The response highlighted that inland waterways are not being given the recognition as essential national infrastructure that they merit. A summary article and link to the full response are available here.
    • Navigation Committee will lead on IWA’s response to the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) public consultation on the introduction of a new mandatory Boat Safety Standard with related BSS Requirements for suitable smoke alarms in good condition and in suitable locations on all classes of boat with accommodation spaces.
    • Navigation Committee agreed that IWA’s Policy on Unauthorised Renting of Boats should be renamed and updated into the new format for policies.
    • In view of the unreliability of the Vazon sliding railway bridge over the Stainforth & Keadby Canal in warmer weather, and now the likely closure of Keadby Lock for some time, it is becoming increasingly necessary for inland waterways boats to make the tidal passage around Trent Falls in order to transit between the northern and Midland waterways via the Trent. Brian Sharples had prepared a Skippers Guide to Trent Falls which Navigation Committee was delighted to endorse for publication on the IWA website.
    • Following a significant period without a manager for IWA’s Certificate of Boat Management scheme, Trustees have appointed Andrew Phasey as manager. Andrew will continue with his previous role of Chief Trainer in parallel, but with a wish to relinquish the Chief Trainer role before the end of 2026. The scheme reports to Navigation Committee at present, but since the customer base is mainly restoration-related groups, Trustees may decide to change this line of reporting in due course.
    • The link to the IWA Waterways Directory and the GIS files behind the map were provided to Defra, in response to a request from a new member of the Defra inland waterways team for help to improve the team’s data and knowledge on inland waterways.
    • Updates were received from IWA West Country Branch on its current projects: the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, the regeneration of Bridgwater Docks, and the replacement of the bridges carrying the A379 over the Exeter Ship Canal. Much excellent campaigning work continues to be done.
    • A new standing agenda item has been introduced for a report from Navigation Committee’s representative on the Sustainability & Environment Group, to ensure close working between the two groups.

    Forthcoming meetings

    • Navigation Committee six-monthly meeting with Defra inland waterways team – 14th April
    • CRT Council Boater Representatives special meeting on water resources – 20th April (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
    • Navigation Committee regular liaison meeting with the Canal & River Trust National Boating team – 13th May
    • Navigation Committee online meeting – 13th May

    Sue O’Hare
    Chair of Navigation Committee
    31st March 2026

    [The photo shows moored boats in Walsall Basin on 21st March – by Peter Fisher]

    The previous report from Navigation Committee is available here.

    Earlier reports from Navigation Committee are available here.

  • IWA Campaigns to Protect the River Stour in Kent

    IWA Campaigns to Protect the River Stour in Kent

    IWA has responded to South East Water’s proposals for the Broad Oak Water scheme in Kent. The response emphasises the importance of protecting navigation rights on the tidal River Stour, noting that this stretch has been affected by two significant problems, eutrophication (over enrichment with nutrients leading to excessive plant growth and damage to wildlife) and siltation. IWA argues that studies for the scheme must demonstrate that it will not worsen these issues and should ideally contribute to improvements.

    The document highlights how over-abstraction led to saline intrusion as far as Stodmarsh Nature reserve, which was then mitigated by pumping sewage discharge into the river, causing eutrophication. The nutrient‑rich sewage effluent caused abnormal weed growth that raised the riverbed, hindering navigation. IWA stresses that mitigation for these issues, particularly improved sewage treatment, should be integral to the scheme.

    On siltation, IWA warns that the unmanaged tidal Stour is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate and encourages South East Water to support future river management arrangements. It also calls for careful design of inlet and outlet structures to avoid harmful transverse flows, referencing established engineering guidance.

    The response further requests clarity on emergency discharge procedures and their implications for river users. Finally, IWA expresses support for the proposed recreational facilities at the reservoir. The full response is available here.

    [Photo: The Kentish Stour at Grove Ferry – by Neil Edwards]

  • IWA Expresses Concern about Future Water Abstraction Regime

    IWA Expresses Concern about Future Water Abstraction Regime

    IWA agrees that abstraction planning must look decades ahead, but stresses that reservations should only extend a few years into the future due to the inherent uncertainty of long‑term water resource planning. IWA points out that Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) change significantly between five‑year cycles, making them an unreliable basis for long‑term licence reservations. Examples from Thames Water’s 2019 and 2024 WRMPs show major shifts in preferred schemes, timings, and priorities. IWA warns that allowing long‑term reservations could lock water companies and regulators into outdated schemes, block higher‑priority uses, and create a backlog similar to the former National Grid connection regime.

    IWA rejects the idea that inclusion in a WRMP or sectoral strategic plan automatically justifies a “need for water,” arguing that such plans identify options rather than proving necessity for specific schemes. IWA also questions the relevance and practicality of requiring strategic plans to account for all sectors’ national critical infrastructure needs, noting that this is a government‑level responsibility and that the terminology used in the consultation is unclear and inconsistent with established definitions of Critical National Infrastructure.

    Environmental safeguards in the proposed framework are considered potentially adequate, but IWA raises concerns about timing. Developers cannot reasonably proceed to construction if licences might be withdrawn before operation. IWA proposes that reserved licences should expire before construction begins, forcing full environmental assessment at the appropriate stage. Clarification is also needed on how licence timing interacts with delays or accelerations in project delivery.

    IWA supports catchment reviews but argues they should apply to all abstractions, not just strategic schemes. Reviews every six years may be too frequent and misaligned with WRMP cycles. IWA advocates for dynamic, real‑time catchment management, as proposed by the Environment Agency in 2025, supported by comprehensive modelling of flows, storage, rainfall, and operational infrastructure. Such tools, ideally developed by the Agency, would enable more efficient and adaptive allocation of water resources.

    The proposed hierarchy for allocating water rights is criticised as confusing, overly dependent on shifting government policies, and potentially counterproductive to collaboration. IWA suggests reducing it to just two tiers – Critical National Infrastructure and all other uses – to avoid perverse incentives and reduce the risk of the Agency being perceived as either a tick‑box regulator or an obstacle to government priorities.

    IWA also emphasises the need to protect long‑established waterways infrastructure, ensure adequate transition periods for existing abstractors, and create an independent appeal mechanism for licence withdrawals. IWA argues for better recognition of return flows, phased implementation of new licensing requirements, and improved cross‑border coordination for shared catchments.

    Overall, IWA calls for a more flexible, collaborative, and technically sophisticated approach centred on real‑time water management rather than rigid licensing hierarchies and long‑term reservations.

    The Environment Agency’s consultation document is available here, and IWA’s full response is available here.

  • IWA Navigation Committee News

    IWA Navigation Committee News

    1. Canal & River Trust’s Independent Commission on the Future of Boat Licensing

    As reported in November, a small subgroup of Navigation Committee was formed to take thoughts forward so that IWA is ready to respond to the Commission report and any further consultations at the appropriate time.

    Although the review was about more than residential boating, it is the residential boating and continuous cruising aspects which are attracting most attention. On 31st January, the Residential Boat Owners Association will be hosting a hybrid open meeting to “Review the Review of CRT Licensing”, which representatives from Navigation Committee will be attending.

    2. Residential boating and mooring

    A group comprising representatives of IWA, The National Association of Boat Owners, National Bargees Travellers Association and the Residential Boat Owners Association has met twice to try to agree a common approach to residential boating.

    3. Water Resources

    IWA’s national Water Lead Graham Heald joined the meeting and guided the discussions on the many aspects of water resources management which are currently in focus.

    • Grand Union Canal Transfer Project

    The Phase Two Public Consultation will run from 11th February to 2nd April 2026. Graham Heald is leading for IWA and is organising a meeting with the promoters during the consultation period. There will be an opportunity for Q&A on the consultation at the next online meeting of the Canal User Working Group on 19th February.

    • Environment Agency consultation on reserving water abstraction rights

    Submissions to this consultation are due by 16th February and Graham Heald is leading IWA’s response. The current view is that the approach is concerning, because it does not appear to recognise canals as legitimate and necessary abstractors of water which provide environmental benefits in their own right. IWA will liaise with CRT over its response and will share the final version with the Defra inland waterways team.

    • Environment Agency consultation on Significant Water Management Issues in River Basin Management Planning

    This consultation is almost entirely related to environment, chemical and pollution issues, although there are areas where IWA could usefully comment. The deadline is not until 20th May.

    • IWA guidelines on water transfer and water supply and retention are in development.

    OTHER POINTS

    • Navigation Committee welcomed Brian Sharples as IWA’s North East Region representative.
    • Jonathan Mosse will represent IWA on a Boat Safety Scheme committee reviewing the future frequency of BSS examinations.
    • Paul Thomas will represent Navigation Committee on IWA’s Sustainability & Environment Group.
    • The updated IWA Towpaths Policy is now available here.
    • As part of the Risk Index campaign, relevant navigation authorities were formally asked for their plans about their indefinite stoppages. So far, only the Environment Agency has responded.
    • Since the previous Navigation Committee meeting, CRT has suffered two major issues, the breach of the embankment at Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal and the collapsed bywash culvert at Penkridge on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. CRT has been praised for its rapid response at Whitchurch, especially compared with the ongoing Bridgewater Canal breach where not only has little visible progress been made but there are now reports on social media of deterioration. CRT launched an appeal to help fund the repairs and has already raised £166,000.
    • Keadby Lock has just had to be closed for a currently unknown period. The lock (and the nearby Vazon sliding railway bridge) are key to the North/South route using the Trent and avoiding Trent Falls.
    • The Bridgewater Canal Company has appointed a principal consultant to lead on the design and project management of the reinstatement after the breach in January 2025. Subject to the outcomes of ecological surveys and engineering design, construction work is expected to begin in summer 2026 with completion by the end of 2026.
    • IWA Kent & East Sussex Branch provided a report on abandoned boats on the River Adur, demonstrating the extent of the problem. It was noted that both CRT and the Environment Agency have been making efforts to remove more abandoned boats and to publicise their activities.
    • IWA’s concerns over the closure of ‘non-essential’ Customer Service Facilities have been formally communicated to CRT and a response requested.
    • CRT held an introductory meeting for national boating organisations with the new Chief Executive Campbell Robb on 4th December. There were three main themes (communication, long-term funding and boater experience). Campbell Robb set out his desire to move away from reacting to emergencies to a new approach of investing to save and innovating where appropriate. He stated that the biggest immediate threat to CRT waterways is the need to reapply for 157 water abstraction licences with potentially onerous licence conditions. The overall tenor of the meeting was encouragingly positive and collaborative.
    • The Environment Agency’s new focus on navigation has been reflected in recent communications. A blog described EA, CRT and the Broads Authority sharing their learning from managing navigation in this year’s drought, and Campbell Robb later confirmed that CRT and EA are committed to working together on navigation from the Chairs down. The report “Drought prospects for spring 2026” included a chapter dedicated to navigation, spelling out in quite some detail the likely impact on different waterways in three scenarios. While the details of the forecasts could be argued with, it is notable that the press release accompanying the report explicitly mentions the impact on navigation and is signed by the Water Minister Emma Hardy.
    • Scottish Canals has done well in the Scottish budget. It is encouraging to see the statements that Scotland’s transport network “includes rail, bus, trunk roads, ferries, regional aviation and canals” and “we are investing in Scottish Canals to ensure they remain a valuable resource for biodiversity, active living and tourism”.
    • The Broads Authority has appointed a new Chief Executive, Sarah Cowley, who will start in August and take over from John Packham.
    • Baits Bite Lock on the River Cam was reopened after temporary stabilisation work on schedule on 19th December, but the need for funding for permanent works on both Baits Bite and Jesus Green locks remains.
    • Uncertainty over the impact of high-speed rail projects on some waterways continues and has increased after the announcement of the Government’s long-term plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
    • There have been some changes at the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) campaign. IWA has reduced its staff involvement in order to focus efforts on IWA’s own campaigns, and Mike Wills stepped down as Chair of FBW but continues as IWA representative on the steering group. Hazel Owen of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs has taken over as Chair and several new volunteers have been recruited, including a representative of Leicester Civic Society to add a non-boating voice on the steering group. The first event of 2026 will be the jointly-branded FBW/Birmingham Canal Navigations Society Icicle Cruise on 21st March on the Walsall Canal to celebrate its reopening after the chemical spill and sample the new CRT arrangements in Walsall Basin. A Canalway Cavalcade dispersal cruise will be in company with a flotilla of historic narrowboats, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Harland & Wolff fleet built in 1936 at Woolwich. The Great Ouse Boating Association is hoping to organise a campaign cruise on the Great Ouse to coincide with the Bedford River Festival. The plans for the main campaign cruise to the North West are still awaiting a response from Peel Ports about use of the Manchester Ship Canal.
    • An article from the Sunday Times of 18th January expressed concerns about the impact of the removal of the Landfill Tax exemption for dredging. These were discussed at the Navigation Committee regular liaison meeting with CRT on 26th January, where it was explained that the article was incorrect and it is the specific exemption for the use of stabilisers for treating contaminated wet dredgings which will be removed from April 2027. CRT is still working through the implications, but the change will increase the cost of dredging though only in cases of treated contaminated waste.

    Forthcoming meetings

    • RBOA hybrid open meeting to “Review the Review of CRT Licensing” – 31st January (Ivor Caplan and Roger Stocker to represent IWA)
    • Grand Union Canal Transfer Canal User Working Group meeting – 19th February (Sue O’Hare, Phil Sharpe and Helen Westlake to represent IWA)
    • CRT Council Boater Representatives meeting – 25th February (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
    • CRT Council meeting – 18th March (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
    • CRT meeting with national boating organisations – 24th March (Sue O’Hare and Mike Wills to represent IWA)
    • Environment Agency National Waterways Forum / National Waterways Advisory Group meeting – 25th March (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)

    Sue O’Hare
    Chair of Navigation Committee
    26th January 2026

    Previous reports from Navigation Committee are available here.

  • Breach on the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch – IWA Response

    Breach on the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch – IWA Response

    Commenting on this latest breach, Michael Haig, chair of Shrewsbury & North Wales branch of The Inland Waterways Association, said:

    “As one of the most popular and heavily used canals on the entire network, the Llangollen Canal has a special place in the hearts of thousands of visitors from both this country and overseas. It also supports businesses, recreation and wellbeing along its 49-mile length, and beyond, with numerous holiday boat hire operators on neighbouring waterways also adding to visitor numbers.

    “That’s why, although we appreciate the engineering complexities of repairing the breach itself, we’re calling for multi-agency action to restore full navigation to as much of the canal as possible, including downstream of the breach, so that the waterway can continue to bring economic, social, health and wellbeing benefits to the many communities along its predominantly rural length. For the moment, thanks are certainly due to all who acted so quickly and professionally in what were clearly frightening scenes.”

    The Llangollen canal forms part of national water infrastructure. Each failure shuts down the connected system resulting in water supply disruption and harms local economies and in this most recent case, leaves people homeless.

    This is why this year IWA has mapped the risks across our 5,000-mile network, and it is clear these risks are growing.

    [Photos of the breach site by Jim Forkin]

    Notes (updated 24th December 2025):

    On 22nd December at about 4:14am, a breach occurred on the Llangollen Canal near the Whitchurch Arm at Whitchurch. The incident was declared a major incident by Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service. Two boats were washed into the breach, with two more positioned dangerously close to the affected area. All affected boaters are safe with alternative accommodation arranged. In close coordination with local emergency services, Canal & River Trust secured the site and installed stop planks at Grindley Brook Lock, along with a water gate to regulate water flow upstream and downstream of the breach, and CRT is now pumping water around the breach. Accommodation for 13 individuals from eight households, including their pets, was arranged through hire boats or hotels in partnership with Shropshire Council. CRT’s licensing teams have been in contact with boaters in the area to identify and address any welfare needs.

    Shortly after the occurrence, all locks on the Llangollen Canal were closed, and towpaths in affected areas remain shut for safety. To strengthen containment, two additional dams were installed alongside measures to regulate water around the breach. Pumping operations are underway, with three 6-inch pumps currently in use. These pumps are delivering a maximum overnight discharge of 19 Ml/d, and refilling the downstream section. The Grindley Brook customer service facilities have been temporarily reopened to support ongoing response efforts. CRT will continue monitoring of water levels and structural integrity, including ashing up gates at Hurleston and other key locations. A full investigation as to what may have caused the breach is underway.

  • Controversial Fees on the River Clyde Abandoned

    Controversial Fees on the River Clyde Abandoned

    Peel Ports Clydeport has halted plans to charge small boat owners a £100 annual “leisure vehicle conservancy fee” following widespread opposition from IWA, other waterways interest groups, politicians and individual boat owners. See IWA’s story on the proposal in January 2025.

    The proposed fee would have applied to all boats between 6 and 24 metres in length operating over a range of 450 square miles of the Firth of Clyde, including Loch Fyne and Gare Loch, the southern entrance to the Crinan Canal and the river Clyde up to Albert Bridge in Glasgow. IWA has been promoting greater use of the Clyde for recreational boating by its inclusions in the Silver Propeller Challenge, with destinations at Rutherglen and Bowling Basin at the entrance to the Forth & Clyde Canal.

    Boat owners branded Peel Ports’ proposal a “cash grab” and “extortion,” arguing it would harm tourism and make boating unaffordable for many retirees. Member of the Scottish Parliament Stuart McMillan led a petition and parliamentary debate against the plan.

    Peel Ports stated the fee was intended to cover costs of managing leisure activity and dealing with accidents, and warned that a comprehensive review was still underway to assess waterway usage and reserved the right to revisit the issue in future.

    The decision represents a victory for recreational boating communities who successfully campaigned against what they saw as an unfair charge on a natural resource, though boat owners remain cautious that the fees could be reintroduced later.

    [The photo shows a boat below Erskine Bridge on the Clyde – by Jonathan Mosse]

  • IWA Concerned about Closure of Boaters’ Facilities

    IWA Concerned about Closure of Boaters’ Facilities

    CRT announced in its Boaters Update email on 9th October that all “non-essential facilities” were to be closed from 3rd November with a few exceptions (where an Expression of Interest in taking them on had been received, or toilets at key visitor destinations). This decision followed on from a boater consultation in 2022 (which showed that boaters considered the provision of water, Elsan and pump-out disposal, and waste disposal to be essential and other facilities such as toilets, showers and washing machines to be a lesser priority for many) and the publication of its Customer Service Facilities Policy Statement in May 2025.

    IWA discussed its concerns with CRT earlier in 2025, and has now made a firmer written representation:

    • The consultation was only carried out with boaters, but boaters may be a minority of the people affected. Canoeists, paddleboarders, anglers, walkers, cyclists, etc, may be more affected and do not appear to have been consulted, albeit not all types of users may have been entitled to use all the facilities.
    • The closures will hit less-affluent boaters the hardest, especially those without showers or heating or hot water or with only rudimentary toilets on their boats.
    • The impact been hardest for less agile boaters, whose own onboard facilities may be to cramped or unsuited to those with decreased mobility.
    • There seems to have been little communication of the closures with the other affected activity groups, or any notice taken of concerns expressed.
    • The short notice given of mass closures.
    • Lack of visible evidence that CRT’s own published process for deciding on closure set out in the CRT’s policy has actually been followed.
    • An absence of published lists of the facilities to be closed and those staying open.
    • Concerns around specific groups of facilities (those used by residential moorers on CRT or non-CRT moorings, those which were funded and/or built by local authorities, other public bodies or voluntary waterway groups’ funds or with volunteer assistance.
    • Toilets at locks leading to tidal waters which may be used by seagoing vessels with no alternative provision on board other than direct discharge into the water.

    Most of these concerns were discussed with CRT on 13th October, and despite undertakings to investigate no response has yet been received. IWA is now escalating its concern and insisting on answers.

    [The photo shows a CRT sanitary facility at Marsworth on the Grand Union Canal – by Alison Smedley]

  • IWA notes the report of the CRT Commission on Boat Licensing

    IWA notes the report of the CRT Commission on Boat Licensing

    IWA welcomes the endorsement by the Commission on the Future of Boat Licensing of four of the five main points put forward in its submission: a simpler licensing framework, the encouragement of more cruising across the whole network, the discontinuation of the term ‘continuous cruising’, and more thought to be given to the wider issues of residential boating.

    Some of the other major recommendations by the Commission are also welcome, including clearer and simpler definitions, appropriate strengthening of enforcement powers, and the need to improve the reputation of the Trust among boaters.

    The point made by IWA in its submission which was not included in the recommendations was the desirability of the review covering licensing for all navigation authorities, as a step towards a joint system. While it is understandable that the Commission did not feel able to address this in its review, Canal & River Trust (CRT) waterways nonetheless form a part of the overall network, and a consistent approach across all navigation authorities would be very beneficial.

    The Commission has set out recommendations and guidance for further consideration, but specific ways forward have been left to CRT to consider and consult on. There is much work still to be done to get to implementation, especially if as suggested legislative changes prove to be needed.

    The independent Commission was established by CRT at the start of 2025 to review the legal framework around boat licensing, to explore its continuing appropriateness in view of the changes in use of the waterway network over the last 30 years. The Commission was tasked with reporting to the CRT Board of Trustees, who will decide whether and how to take the recommendations forward.

    The Commission ran a survey of boaters and other stakeholders in March and April 2025, covering both user experiences of the boat licensing system and any desired changes. IWA submitted a response to the survey and representatives of IWA’s Navigation Committee discussed the submission in a meeting with the Commission members in May.

    The report produced by the Commission was published on 19 November 2025. Although slightly delayed from the timescale originally set out, IWA welcomes the prompt publication as soon as the report had been submitted to CRT’s Board of Trustees, in advance of their consideration of it.

  • IWA Responds to Proposed Broads Navigation Charges

    IWA Responds to Proposed Broads Navigation Charges

    The Broads Authority has invited comments on its proposal for a below-inflation increase in 2026/27 boat tolls of 2.5%, coupled with investment in some improvements to navigation.

    This has been enabled, despite falling boat numbers, by a belated recognition by Defra that navigation is fundamental to the character of the Broads, bringing benefits to the economy, the natural and built environment, local communities and the lives of individual people.

    IWA has previously made this case to Government, pointing out that adequate funding is needed for safety provision and maintenance, yet the Broads Authority has been the only major inland navigation authority not to receive government funding to support maintenance of navigation, only ring-fenced National Parks grant funding. IWA urged Government to recognise the need for financial support to ensure that navigation and the character of the Broads are maintained, and Defra has now responded by allowing more flexible use of National Park funding to support navigation – albeit without providing any new money.

    IWA’s Navigation Committee has written to the Broads Authority setting out IWA’s concerns in considering next year’s tolls – that the current level of maintenance should not be degraded, improvements should be made to navigation where possible, and efforts should be made to stem the decline in boat numbers – and supporting the proposed increase in boat tolls.

    [The photo shows boating and leisure activities on the Broads – by Charles Stride]

  • IWA Welcomes HS2 Safeguarding Removal

    IWA Welcomes HS2 Safeguarding Removal

    Removal of the safeguarding for the cancelled rail development paves the way for the Measham Waterside housing development to proceed which includes restoration of 1100 metres of the Ashby Canal.  It will also simplify the Chesterfield Canal restoration at Staveley.

    The Ashby Canal restoration at Measham has been blighted by HS2 since 2014.  The original route cut through the middle of the planned housing estate, rendering it and the associated canal restoration unviable  This was amended in 2016 and again in 2017, and a further review promised in 2018, but then finally abandoned in 2023.

    The Chesterfield Canal could have been forced to build an extra lock and to deepen another planned lock to pass under the site of a former railway bridge to be reinstated as access to an HS2 depot, even though that had been subsequently abandoned.

    Phase 2b East (East Midlands to Leeds) was abandoned in 2021 and HS2 East (Kingsbury to East Midlands Parkway) cancelled in 2023, with all the safeguarding due to be removed by Summer 2024.

    IWA had written to the Rail Minister in February this year about the unnecessary delay and its effect on the two canal restoration projects, and welcomes this belated announcement.

    In a 6-Monthly Report to Parliament on 17 July, the Secretary of State for Transport said “I am today formally lifting the safeguarding directions for the former Phase 2b Eastern Leg (between the West Midlands and Leeds), removing the uncertainty that has affected many people along the former route.”

    For the abandoned Phase 2a (Fradley to Crewe) the planning safeguarding was largely lifted in January 2024 although the land and property acquired on the route has not yet been sold and the Act of Parliament for its construction remains in place.

    On the former Phase 2b West (Crewe to Manchester) route the safeguarding still remains pending future decisions on Northern Powerhouse Rail.

  • Waterways Restoration Conference 2025

    Waterways Restoration Conference 2025

    The Annual Waterways Restoration Conference at the National Waterways Museum was jointly organised by IWA and Canal & River Trust on 26th April 2025.

    We had a packed audience for this event, which was held at the historic venue at Ellesmere Port. Special thanks go to the excellent speakers and compere who made the Conference inspiring and delightful, to IWA Chester and Merseyside Branch, and all the volunteers who helped hugely throughout the day, and to the Museum and Archives teams.

    The event was really made by the attendees, locally and from far and wide, who networked and offered so much in terms of questions and comments. Mike Wills, IWA Chair committed the organisation to increasing the Association’s capacity to support efforts in support of restoration projects. The challenges remain huge, however, and restoration groups are going to have to depend on each other more.

    The Conference slides can be downloaded from the links below.

    After the event there was a fascinating walk around Chester’s historic waterways, organised by John Herson of IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch and Chester Civic Trust – see the video here.

    We would like to thank the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society for displaying  the remarkable hand-built model of The Danny the restoration story of which is available on the Society’s website.

    Changing Conversations around Heritage – Hugh Pearman

    Grand Union Water Transfer Project – Introduction – John Pomfret

    Grand Union Water Transfer Project – S J O’Kane and Peter Walker

    Grand Union Water Transfer Project – Continuing the Conversation – John Pomfret

    Canal & River Trust and Waterway Restoration – Sean McGinley

    Restoration Moving Forward – Mike Palmer

    There were also two presentations about working with young volunteers, which are available on application to Verena Leonardini

  • Navigation saved with details finalised for formation of new charity

    Navigation saved with details finalised for formation of new charity

    IWA has successfully completed the final details in setting up the new charity designed to increase support for the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation in Essex.  

    In November 2024, plans were announced by IWA’s trustees and the board of Essex Waterways Ltd to form a new charity, whose objectives were the continued success of the Navigation. With the share in Essex Waterways Ltd transferred to Essex Waterways Navigation Trust on 31st March, the arrangements are now complete. 

    Managed by IWA’s wholly owned subsidiary, Essex Waterways Ltd, the Navigation has been a great success. It has gone from a position of near bankruptcy and poor maintenance to a much-loved amenity enjoyed by an appreciative local population and promoted as a star attraction of the county by both Visit Essex and the local authorities.  

    Not only has the historic waterway been enjoyed by many visitors and locals, it has also provided significant employment with trip boats and waterside businesses, as well as maintenance work.  The Navigation has become a model of efficient operation and sustainable management. 

    IWA and Essex Waterways Navigation Trust will maintain close relations, and some of the charitable activities performed by Essex Waterways Ltd will transfer to the new charity.  Freehold ownership of the Navigation remains with the Company of Proprietors of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, established in 1793 by Act of Parliament, which has contracted Essex Waterways to manage the Navigation for as long as Essex Waterways Ltd wishes to do so.  

    Mike Wills, IWA national chair, said: “After a joint review by both IWA’s trustees and the directors of Essex Waterways Ltd a new chapter has started, and all the final details have now been satisfactorily settled. IWA’s commitment to the Navigation is undiminished, and we are pleased that it will stay connected as part of a wider IWA family.” 

    Roy Chandler, chair of Essex Waterways Ltd, said: “Taking on management of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation was a courageous decision by IWA’s trustees in 2005, and we are grateful for the confidence and support for our endeavours over the past 20 years.  We believe that we have demonstrated how an inland navigation can be managed to a high standard on a modest budget, in sympathy with the local environment and support and goodwill of appreciative users We have faced many challenges over the years, and no doubt there will be many more to overcome in future years.    “We appreciate the recent encouragement of Chelmsford City Council to extend Navigation into Chelmsford City Centre outlined in its recently published draft Local Plan, and we look forward to operating the recently restored historic lighter ‘Susan’ on the Navigation.  At the heart of this are our enthusiastic staff and dedicated volunteers, without whom none of this would have been possible.”

    [The photo shows ]

  • IWA responds to the Independent Water Commission consultation

    IWA responds to the Independent Water Commission consultation

    IWA has submitted a response to the Call for Evidence issued by the Independent Water Commission.

    The Commission was launched by the UK and Welsh Governments in October 2024 and is chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. It is tasked with carrying out the largest review of the water industry since privatisation.

    The topic of water resources management is becoming increasingly important for the future of the inland waterways. Through Navigation Committee, IWA has previously responded to consultations on regional Water Resource Plans, various water companies’ Water Resource Management Plans, and the Fens, South Lincolnshire and SESRO (Abingdon) reservoirs. There are various proposals for water transfer schemes, of which the Grand Union Canal Transfer is the most advanced. Not only would these bring income to currently navigable or restored canals, they also make clear the role of canals as a part of the national infrastructure.

    IWA’s response to the Call for Evidence makes the following points:

    1. There is a need for joined-up strategic water planning, across the country as a whole and with a multi-sector approach (i.e. including key users such as inland waterways as well as water companies)
    2. Inland waterways both navigable and capable of restoration must be seen as part of the national infrastructure and included in the picture
    3. Suggesting a duty on water companies to consider navigable waterways in their strategic planning
    4. Navigation authorities do not have enough funds even to maintain the status quo let alone invest for the future, especially in the face of climate change
    5. Abstraction laws need to consider canals and rivers as part of the same overall picture
    6. Potential for mutual benefits from e.g. water transfer schemes, both for currently navigable waterways and restoration schemes
      1. Noting that there are already water transfer schemes on navigable waterways (e.g. Llangollen, Gloucester & Sharpness, Bridgwater & Taunton Canals; Yorkshire Ouse and River Lee Navigation)
      2. Highlighting the Grand Union Canal Water Transfer Scheme as an example of canals becoming essential parts of national infrastructure again
      3. Identifying the key role that some of the 500 miles of waterway restorations could play, in particular mentioning the main schemes where restorations and water transfer could go hand in hand (e.g. Cotswold Canals Severn-Thames Transfer (CCSTT) scheme; Buckingham Arm; others)
      4. Mentioning the numerous benefits of an inland waterway over a buried pipeline and regeneration benefits along the route
      5. Recommending that water companies liaise with restoration societies and/or ourselves to understand the potential schemes and explore the wider benefits of individual schemes, considering if there are examples that could benefit from a revised Ofwat Innovation Fund.

    [The photo shows Horseshoe Falls on the River Dee, which supplies water to the Llangollen Canal, including water carried via the Llangollen Canal to the 21 acre Hurleston Reservoir, which holds 85 million gallons of public drinking water supply for south Cheshire – by Adrian Rayson]

  • Making Inland Leisure and Commercial Boating Net Zero

    Making Inland Leisure and Commercial Boating Net Zero

    The UK’s rivers and canals are home to thousands of boats, from leisure cruisers to working barges delivering freight. They are also vital green-blue corridors, enjoyed by millions of walkers, cyclists, and nature lovers. However, most boats still rely on fossil fuels. IWA wants boating to be more sustainable and even though the current overall contribution to UK carbon emissions from boats is very small, we want to help reduce emissions on the waterways.

    This is why IWA’s Sustainable Boating and Freight Groups has submitted a representation to the Treasury, focusing on the need to review the supply and taxation of alternative fuels.

    Why Change is Needed

    • Environmental Benefits Moving towards cleaner energy will help protect wildlife and reduce pollution.
    • Economic Impact Our waterways support over 133,000 jobs and contribute billions to the UK economy.
    • Health & Wellbeing Active use of canals and rivers improves public health, saving the NHS over £1 billion annually due to the health benefits of active waterway use

    Challenges to Greener Boating

    While new boats are being built with electric or hybrid engines, most existing boats still run on diesel. Alternative fuels like Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) are cleaner but remain stubbornly expensive and difficult to access. Bankside charging infrastructure for electric boats are also limited.

    What Needs to Happen?

    To make sustainable boating a reality, we are calling for:
    ✔ Affordable, cleaner fuel Tax incentives and better availability of HVO fuel.
    ✔ More charging points Investment in bankside charging for electric and hybrid boats.
    ✔ Joined-up government support A clear strategy that helps boaters transition to net zero without unnecessary cost and complexity.

    The case for government action has only grown. By simplifying the fuel supply landscape, investing in infrastructure, and ensuring a coordinated policy approach, the Government can bring in a fair and practical transition towards net zero for leisure and commercial inland boating.

    Read the full submission here

  • Fund Britain’s Waterways representation to the Spending Review 2025

    Fund Britain’s Waterways representation to the Spending Review 2025

    Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) is a growing action group currently comprising 145 member organisations representing hundreds of thousands of users and supporters of inland waterways. Its sole purpose is to campaign collectively for an increase in government funding of Britain’s inland waterways to avert their decline, and to promote awareness of the huge economic, environmental and social well-being value they provide.

    FBW made a submission to the Autumn Budget 2024. Since then we have seen the collapse of embankments on both the Bridgewater Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal on New Year’s Day following sustained heavy rainfall. These events demonstrate the vulnerability of our canals to the increasingly frequent severe weather events resulting from climate change. Increased investment will be needed in order to future-proof the network.

    We have therefore presented a strengthened argument in our Spending Review submission and repeated our request to Government that:

    1. the importance of Britain’s inland waterways as a unique national asset and part of the national infrastructure is recognised
    2. the deterioration in condition that is already happening is acknowledged
    3. a review of government funding for all Britain’s inland waterways be carried out as a matter of urgency, with the aim of defining a sustainable funding solution which will enable the current benefits of our canals and rivers to be maintained and enhanced for future generations.

    To fund our inland waterways properly would cost a small (in government terms) investment measured in millions not billions of pounds. In return the country will continue to obtain billions of pounds of benefits for health, economic and environmental benefits, much of the benefits in less well-off areas.

    We are already seeing the waterways deteriorating and businesses suffering, and the rate of deterioration is increasing because of the impact of extreme weather events caused by climate change. If underinvestment continues this will become worse until a tipping point is reached and waterways have to be closed, wasting the benefits as well as the millions of hours of volunteer time and millions of pounds of public money that have gone into the current network. Read the full submission here.

  • Peel Ports Bids to Impose an Annual Fee on Boaters on the River Clyde

    Peel Ports Bids to Impose an Annual Fee on Boaters on the River Clyde

    The Peel Ports Group owns Clydeport, which functions as the harbour authority for 450 square miles of waterway in and around the River Clyde and its estuary.

    Recently they announced that they would be imposing an annual fee, commencing in April 2025, on all leisure craft operating on their waterways which includes Loch Fyne giving access to the Crinan Canal. The charge will apply to boats between 6 metres and 24 metres in length within the Clyde jurisdiction north of Irvine, and will apply to permanent berths and visitors. The charge proposed is £120 per annum and £90 for summer.

  • Huddersfield Narrow Canal Closed after New Year Rainfall

    Huddersfield Narrow Canal Closed after New Year Rainfall

    The mainstream media is giving widespread coverage to the collapse of the Bridgewater Canal embankment near Dunham Massey in Greater Manchester on New Year’s Day following sustained heavy rainfall. Less widely reported is that the rain also led to a structural failure of the embankment supporting the side of Lock 11W on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the north east of Manchester. As a result Canal & River Trust (CRT) had to close the canal between Locks 12 West and 10 West on 1st January until further notice.

  • Major Breach of the Bridgewater Canal Severs North-South Route

    Major Breach of the Bridgewater Canal Severs North-South Route

    A section of the Bridgewater Canal embankment near Dunham Massey in Greater Manchester collapsed on New Year’s Day after sustained heavy rainfall, resulting in water pouring into neighbouring fields and flooding a sewage works.

    The BBC reported that 90mm of rain fell on north west England over the New Year’s period. A major incident was declared because of serious flooding across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire, including the breach of the canal. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported evacuating nearly 1,000 people during the incident.

    The collapse has attracted widespread public attention: drone footage and photos of the breach have been widely shared across social media and one video became the ‘most watched’ on the BBC news website. Canal & River Trust has issued a statement making clear that the canal is not one of its waterways, and also stressing the vulnerability of all canals and infrastructure of this age to extreme weather arising from climate change.

    The Bridgewater Canal is directly owned by the Bridgewater Canal Company Limited, which is owned by Peel L&P, a division of Peel Holdings plc. It forms part of the popular Cheshire Ring cruising circuit and is also an important north-south link between the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Leigh and the Trent & Mersey Canal at Preston Brook, as well as part of the east-west routes across the Pennines on the Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow Canals.

  • Canal access to the Kelpies to close for months

    Canal access to the Kelpies to close for months

    The closure is currently planned to last from November 2024 to March 2026 because, although Scottish Canals has funding to build the necessary replacement lock gates, the Scottish Government has not yet made available the funds to fit them and for associated lock repairs. If all the funding had been available together, the work could have been completed much more quickly.

    Construction of the waterway commenced in 1768 and was finally completed in July 1790. For it to have lasted so long is a tribute to both contemporary engineering prowess and the restoration work undertaken at the turn of this century.

    The Forth & Clyde Canal declined in the second half of the 20th century and was finally closed in 1963. In March 1999 National Lottery Funding, totalling £100 million, was precured to reopen the navigation and the process of decay was reversed: new channels have been engineered, blockages circumnavigated and more than 30 bridges rebuilt to reinstate the coast-to-coast waterway we see today.

    An important part of this vision was the rôle the waterway would play as a transit canal allowing seagoing leisure vessels to move between Scotland’s east and west coasts. Completion of this restoration was almost 25 years ago, which is the useful life of a lock gate. Across the waterway’s 34 miles there is a total of 39 locks, few of which have received significant attention since the reopening.

    The eastern end of the navigation – running from Lock 16 near the Falkirk Wheel for 2¾ miles down to Lock 2 at the Kelpies – will shortly be closing for sixteen months. This is to allow re-gating of five of the fifteen locks in the flight and a thorough investigation of all the locks themselves. This section of the navigation includes several short pounds which will be totally dewatered (preventing navigation) thereby making the whole operation more efficient.

    An early design by prominent engineer John Smeaton, much of this end of the waterway crossed unstable ground and the locks were constructed on what were effectively timber rafts, using pitch pine. Whilst it is not unusual to find wooden floors to locks, running the timbers under the lock walls for added stability is uncommon.

    Timbers forming the lock floors are, in places, in poor condition with significant holes visible. These are relatively easy to replace but it is the condition of the timber, hidden under the masonry forming the lock chambers, that poses a large unknown.

    Whilst funding is now in place for the five sets of lock gates, money still needs to be found to cover the cost of their installation and to underwrite any issues in this highly unusual construction that are uncovered along the way. It is this considerable uncertainly that dictates such an extended closure, as current diving investigations can only determine the extent of lock-related works and the state of the visible sections of the timber flooring.

    Scottish Canals has been in touch with Transport Scotland demonstrating that navigation is a public rather than a private benefit and therefore deserves financial support from the Government. This position is supported by RYA Scotland, by the Lowland Canals Association and also by IWA. IWA agrees that the Scottish Government should recognise the value of navigation to the public as a general principle, together with the value of the Forth & Clyde Canal as a sea-to-sea link.

  • Lithium-ion Batteries and your boat

    Lithium-ion Batteries and your boat

    In the cause of sustainable boating, many boats and boaters are moving away from fossil fuels, like diesel, gas and solid fuel, towards electricity, both to propel the boat and for domestic purposes.

    One result of this is the increasing use of new technology batteries on boats, usually based on lithium chemistry. These may be installed in your boat or be part of portable appliances and devices brought on board.

    Bowman Bradley, chair of the Sustainable Boating Group said “Whilst these new battery technologies bring much benefit, we are all becoming aware of the hazards that can result if they are damaged or used incorrectly. Many of these hazards exist whether we are afloat or onshore, but some are specific to boats and boaters. Whether you have realised it or not, you almost certainly have lithium chemistry batteries somewhere on your boat, even if only in your mobile phone, and, of course, the larger the battery the greater the potential hazard.“

    The Boat Safety Scheme has published comprehensive information regarding lithium-ion battery safety on boats and IWA encourages all boaters to read it at:

    Lithium-ion Battery Safety | Boat Safety Scheme | Go Boating – Stay Safe”

  • IWA Responds to National Planning Policy Consultation

    IWA Responds to National Planning Policy Consultation

    A major aim of the reforms is to increase the rate of house building by changes to the planning system, including a mandatory housing-need assessment method, and designation of parts of the Green Belt as ‘grey belt’ where development will be permitted.

    Whilst canalside redevelopment of ‘brownfield’ sites in built-up areas is usually beneficial to the waterways, major built developments in the countryside that destroy the rural environment of waterways can damage their heritage setting, wildlife, tourism value and economic benefits.  This is particularly so in Green Belt areas which are designated primarily to prevent urban sprawl, promote urban regeneration, and safeguard the countryside.

    IWA’s response is critical of the Green Belt and the ‘grey belt’ proposals, and the general approach of blaming the local planning system for failures of the house building market.  There are many other detailed changes that IWA has commented on including ‘sustainable’ development, the control of major housebuilders over housing market supply, and ‘affordable’ housing.  IWA also expressed concerns about the landscape impacts of increasingly large wind turbines being built onshore, and a preference for rooftop solar rather than large scale solar farms on agricultural land.

    Some of the consultation questions provided opportunities to promote better recognition by the planning system of the needs for residential boat moorings provision, the potential for water transfer by canals, reduced planning application fees for canal restoration charities, recognition of the tourism value of waterways, and new and updated canal Conservation Areas.  A detailed response about waterways freight was also included, as an appendix.

    IWA’s comments on residential boats were:

    Another group of people totally ignored by the National Planning Policy Framework is residential boaters.  The canals and navigable rivers are home to tens of thousands of people living full-time on boats.  These include static houseboat residents, ‘liveaboard’ boaters on river cruisers and canal narrowboats that spend much of their time moored in marinas or on linear off-side canal berths, and waterborne travellers licenced by Canal & River Trust as ‘continuous cruisers’.  In the absence of any planning guidance, there is a troubling neglect and inconsistency in local plans and the response of local planning authorities to planning applications for the provision of residential boat moorings.  Some councils allow marinas to include residential berths, many simply ignore the issue, but others specifically exclude it by policy or conditions.  Living afloat is widespread and increasing, and local planning authorities with inland waterways in their areas should be required by the National Planning Policy Framework to assess and make appropriate provision for this as an integral part of their housing provision.  Such allocations should take account of the locational restrictions on provision of residential moorings compared with ‘bricks-and-mortar’ properties, of the lesser landscape impacts of low-profile boats compared with buildings, and of the need and ability of boats to move to access services. 

    For more information, see the IWA Policy on Residential Boating at: https://waterways.new1.fixed-staging.co.uk/about-us/library

    IWA would welcome an opportunity to contribute to suitable guidance for inclusion in the National Planning Policy Framework revision.

    IWA’s full submission to the consultation is here.

    Read the Government’s consultation, which explains the questions being responding to.

  • Fund Britain’s Waterways Government Autumn Budget Submission

    Fund Britain’s Waterways Government Autumn Budget Submission

    Fund Britain’s Waterways is a growing action group currently comprising 136 member organisations representing hundreds of thousands of users and supporters of inland waterways. Its sole purpose is to campaign collectively for an increase in government funding of Britain’s inland waterways to avert their decline, and to promote awareness of the huge economic, environmental and social well-being value they provide.

    Our request to Government is that:

    1. the importance of our inland waterways as a unique national asset and part of the national infrastructure is recognised;
    2. the deterioration in condition that is already happening is acknowledged; and
    3. a comprehensive review of Government funding for all our inland waterways should be carried out as a matter of urgency, with the aim of defining a sustainable funding solution which will enable the current benefits of our canals and rivers to be maintained and enhanced for future generations.

    To fund our inland waterways properly would cost a small (in Government terms) investment measured in millions, not billions, of pounds. In return, the country would continue to obtain billions of pounds of benefits for health, economic and environmental benefits, much of those benefits being enjoyed in less well-off areas.

    We are already seeing the waterways deteriorating and businesses suffering. Without urgent action the inland waterway network will be in serious jeopardy. If the condition of waterways continues to deteriorate, waterways will ultimately have to be closed, businesses will be harmed, communities placed at risk, the benefits lost, and millions of hours of volunteer effort wasted.

    Read the full submission here.

  • Lancaster Canal Isolated from the Sea

    Lancaster Canal Isolated from the Sea

    IWA is concerned that boaters have been trapped since September 2023, unable to pass through Glasson Dock because of a failure of the tidal gate that connects the Dock to the Sea, and a stand-off between the Port of Lancaster Commission which owns the gate, and the Environment Agency. The funding plight of navigation authorities in the area has been aggravated by the failure of a gate at the tidal end of the Ribble Link and a breach at Hollowforth Aqueduct, both of which are major works that will take months to fix at great expense. And boaters are, literally, stuck in the middle.

    At Glasson Dock, the 38 year-old gate is currently stuck, and although it’s owned by the port, in 2001 the Environment Agency added an extension to the gate to make it a flood defence. The port is not responsible for flood defences for the area. No modifications were made to the supporting structures. Since then, the port maintained and operated the gate with minimal contribution from the Environment Agency. In recent years, the port has spent a fifth of its annual turnover maintaining the gate. Over three years ago the port informed the Environment Agency that the gate was beyond its lifespan and needed replacing and that the port could not afford to do this. The Agency confirmed that replacement funds were in its capital scheme budget.

    Update October 2025 – The Lancaster canal is no longer isolated. The sea gate at the dock is still away for repair or replacement. Boats can use the basin lock and get out to sea, but there remains a problem is with high spring tides and flood risk to local population around the dock area. Ribble Link is fully back in operation and has been open for most of 2025 dependent, as always, on the weather and tides from April to September. Hollowforth Aqueduct has been fully repaired.

    [The photo above shows Glasson Dock, with tide out but the sea gate still in place – taken in July 2024 – by David Faulkner.]

  • The Rebuilding of Schoolhouse Bridge on the Montgomery Canal

    The Rebuilding of Schoolhouse Bridge on the Montgomery Canal

    Restoration of the bridge was an amazing achievement, and facilitates further restoration of the Montgomery Canal. The work has been led by a volunteer group over the past 8 years. Originally intended to be volunteer-built at a cost of about £300,000 but, following the Covid pandemic, it was built by a contractor in 2023 at a cost of £1.1m – and that money was sourced through public appeal from individual and group donations and grants. The whole project was described by Shropshire’s Lord Lieutenant as, ‘an incredible job’.

  • The Ashton and Peak Forest Canals – Reopened 50 Years Ago

    The Ashton and Peak Forest Canals – Reopened 50 Years Ago

    What follows below is a slightly modified version of an article, by Martin Ludgate, that appears in Navvies 324. You can subscribe to Navvies here, from only £5 per annum.

    Until around 1960 it was possible for boats to make a through journey east-west through the centre of Manchester. From the Bridgewater Canal at its Castlefield Basin terminus to the west of the city centre, the surviving one-mile length of the Rochdale Canal climbed through nine locks (the ‘Rochdale Nine’) to Ducie Street Basin. Beyond there, the main trans-Pennine length of the Rochdale Canal had been abandoned (with little hope of reopening), but the Ashton Canal turned right and climbed another 18 locks to Dukinfield Junction. Here the Huddersfield Canal (generally regarded as another hopeless case) continued straight ahead, but boats could turn right into the Lower Peak Forest Canal, then cross Marple Aqueduct and climb Marple Locks to join the Upper Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals.  From there, the Macclesfield led to the Trent & Mersey, which in turn connected to the Bridgewater, completing a 100-mile circuit – which waterways supporters later dubbed the ‘Cheshire Ring’.

  • IWA Leases Moorings at Stoke Bardolph on the River Trent

    IWA Leases Moorings at Stoke Bardolph on the River Trent

    There have always been moorings of a fashion for commercial barges stopping at the Ferry Boat Inn en-route up or down the Trent. The Inn dates from 1823.

    From the 1950s to the 1970s, the moorings and associated concrete slipway were maintained by a local sailing club based on the river, but when the sailing club ceased operation at the site just over 40 years ago, the timber and concrete moorings fell into disrepair with only ad hoc repairs carried out by local boaters.

    There was a foot ferry across the river by the moorings, to Shelford on the opposite bank. The ferry ceased operation in around the 1950s, but the steps and slipway either side are still present.

    The Ferry is an ancient one, being referred to as far back as the year 1275 when it “yielded a mark yearly”.

    With a shortage of visitor moorings on the River Trent, local boaters from the Facebook group “Visitor Moorings on the River Trent & Associated Waterways”, led by Robert Aspey (now IWA Nottinghamshire Trent Group Moorings Officer), met on site in 2018 to see what could be done to repair these dilapidated visitor moorings. They were now in a dangerous condition with many planks missing from the fixed timber pontoon, only one mooring ring still present, and overgrowth over the whole site.

    When contacted, Canal & River Trust and the brewery that owned the Ferry Boat Inn said they did not know who owned the moorings. Eventually, Severn Trent Water were tracked down as the owners of the freehold. One of their managers agreed to meet the group on site and thanked them for pointing out the poor state of the timber moorings, as the water company would have been liable for any accidents.

    [The photos show the moorings at Stoke Bardolph – by Robert Aspey]

  • Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Update – May 2024

    Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Update – May 2024

    The Group’s objective is to make ‘subsidised’ HVO readily available, at an affordable price to ALL recreational boaters and not just limited to the inland waterways (Category A, B and non-tidal Category C waters, as designated by Marine Shipping Notice No 137) – as is currently the case. At present craft operating in tidal waters cannot benefit from Road Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) two of which are applied to every litre of HVO sold to qualifying craft. Their value varies but they are currently worth £0.17 each, so a litre of HVO effectively attracts ‘subsidy’ of £0.34.

    Volatility in pricing is a real concern and does nothing to encourage boatyards and marinas to stock the fuel. In early April 2024, the wholesale price of HVO was only £0.12 (12%) greater than gas oil (red diesel) per litre, but by early May that differential was more like 50%. This is believed to be largely down to fluctuations in commodity markets as fuel prices themselves vary, alongside the raw materials (or feedstock) which are quite separately governed by the agricultural commodity market.

    Manipulating the value of an RTFC would, in theory, represent a government ‘device’ for controlling this volatility but with their current low value there is limited room for (pricing) manoeuvre. Two years ago an RTFC was worth £0.42 so, with an effective subsidy of £0.84 attached to each litre of HVO sold, there was ample room to make an external impact. Those in the fuel industry are therefore suggesting that the time has come to revisit Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979 – the Act that laid down our current fuel duty mechanisms: https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/oils-technical-manual/hcoteg31000.

    The HVO Joint Working Group is currently building a case for RTFC application to all recreational boating around demonstrating that the consumption of diesel fuel (and potentially, HVO should it be made affordable) is extremely small and will therefore have little effect on revenue for HMRC. In addition, we are pointing out that this sector has few other alternatives to decarbonising as the biofuels allocated to both the Coastal and Deep Sea Maritime sectors are inappropriate for recreational boat users.

    Furthermore, the sea-going recreational sector depends upon reliable fuelling of their diesel engines, which may well still have a long life ahead of them, making scrapping an environmentally undesirable, unrealistic and an extremely expensive option. The emphasis on ‘reliable’ being a reference to problems with ‘diesel bug’ (and associated mechanical issues) exacerbated by the FAME content of mineral diesel on sale in marinas and boatyards.

    HVO sold in the UK is currently supplied by Neste and manufactured in Rotterdam. It is shipped to Stanlow (supplying Crown Oil and it’s agents and subsidiaries) and to Dagenham from where it is distributed by Certas. It has been mooted that with the refinery element of Grangemouth closing down, Neste (or one of its competitors) should be encouraged to establish an UK HVO manufacturing plant on the site.

    Finally, taking the bigger picture, the limiting of RTFC-eligibility to vessels plying Category A, B and non-tidal Category C waters is having a negative environmental impact on commercial carrying on the inland waterways, where many craft are transporting bulk cargoes, on tidal rivers into UK towns and cities, where air quality is at a premium. The Rivers Thames and Medway being good examples as, indeed, could be the Rivers Clyde and Tay.

    Not only is HVO 90% carbon neutral, it’s polluting nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions are substantially reduced, so there are consequently significant health benefits (apart from the obvious carbon reduction) to be gained where water-borne traffic interfaces with dense populations.

    The Department for Transport has told IWA that it intends to put out a Call for Evidence around maritime biofuel use, but as yet the Department has offered no time scales. To this end, the Group’s energies are predominantly focused on establishing usage data and general fact gathering in the belief that further, individual approaches to the Department, will only be referred to this upcoming consultation process.

    For more information about Biofuels and HVO, see our Sustainable Boating pages

    [The title photo shows historic working boat ‘Spey’ using HVO – by Jonathan Mosse]

  • Stand Off Between Navigation Authorities Leaves Boaters Stuck

    Stand Off Between Navigation Authorities Leaves Boaters Stuck

    Denver Sluice and Lock on the Great Ouse are owned and managed by the Environment Agency (EA). Salter’s Lode Sluice and Lock are owned and managed by the Middle Level Commissioners. Transit between Denver Sluice and Salter’s Lode allows access to the Great Ouse, the river Cam, and the rivers Lark, Little Ouse, and Wissey. The Denver crossing is now effectively closed and the only navigable connection between the Great Ouse and the rest of the ‘system’ is by the difficult and hazardous Wash crossing (until the Bedford / Milton Keynes link progresses).

    After Christmas 2023, the Middle Level Commissioners (MLC) dredged Salter’s Lode lock. This necessitated removing over 250 tons of silt from inside the lock. There is a considerable build up of silt outside the lock, on the tidal Great Ouse managed by the EA. MLC are concerned that as soon as they open the tidal doors of Salter’s Lode it will immediately be filled with silt from the tidal Great Ouse, and so they have closed the lock until the EA dredge outside it.

    At a recent meeting of its Anglian Water Group (AWG), EA reported this to stakeholders, but currently the EA has no plans to dredge! The link between the Great Ouse and the Middle Level now appears indefinitely closed until one or other of the navigation authorities gives in. This closes off approximately 130 miles of navigation, affects hundreds of leisure boats and prevents access from the connected navigable system to places such as Bedford and Cambridge.

    During April 2023, contractors for EA dredged outside Denver (photo 1 below). Rather than removing arisings, they threw it back out into river (in the hope it would wash out to sea), and there was subsequently heavy siltation experienced downstream at the first bend in the river (photos 2 and 3 below). This blocked the outfall of the Old Bedford River and caused several hire boat groundings on the tidal side of Salter’s Lode. It appears that MLC feel that EA caused this sudden and dramatic increase in rate of siltation affecting Salter’s Lode, and are waiting for EA to do something about it on ‘their side’.

    Sue O’Hare, IWA deputy national chair, said “We are appalled that boaters are left stranded through no fault of their own, and that businesses are left to count their losses because of the Environment Agency’s inaction.  We sympathise with the Middle Level Commissioners’ wish to keep their lock clear of silt and functioning correctly for its dual purposes of navigation and flood protection for local communities, and we sympathise with the Environment Agency at having to deal with over double the usual monthly rainfall in this area so far this year, but the Agency has a legal duty to keep the waterway open for navigation.”

    A Spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have been and will continue to progress plans for the clearance of the blockages caused by the build-up of silt in the tidal river at Denver Lock and Salters Lode within the scope of our available budget.”

    “There have been delays across all our navigation works programme as a direct result of the weather and subsequent river conditions. We will continue to work with our delivery partners to resolve the situation as soon as we can. Updates will be provided on our navigation notices which can be found at our Visit Anglian Waterways webpages.”

    [The title photo shows silting at Salters Lode in early March 2024 – by Paul Burrows of the Middle Level Commissioners]