Boaters are set to benefit from a £5.2 million programme of improvements across Anglian Waterways – but campaigners say the figure just isn’t enough.
WORK carried out at more than 14 sites – from Northamptonshire to Norfolk – are designed to boost safety, reliability and environmental quality, ensuring rivers remain open and accessible to thousands of visitors and water users in the months ahead.
More projects are to come during this financial year through the Environment Agency’s Navigation Programme, including improvements to public safety, lock resilience and the surrounding habitat in East Anglia.
Enjoy more Towpath Talk reading every month.
Click here to subscribe & save.
A series of improvements have been completed at Bedford Lock on the River Great Ouse to ensure the lock continues to operate safely and reliably in all seasons. The downstream gates have been replaced, as has the upstream landing stage, and the lock chamber wall has been stabilised. This will end the disruption that boaters faced with the old lock and will make the navigation safer and smoother. A final stage of the project is planned for later in the year to improve the downstream landing stage.
At Titchmarsh Lock on the River Nene, solar panels have been installed to provide renewable energy to operate the guillotine gate. In recent seasons, the gate had reverted to manual operation due to its ageing components. The project makes passage through the lock easier and more reliable for boaters. It’s the first in a planned series of green energy switchovers the Environment Agency is planning in the coming years.
At Brampton on the River Great Ouse and Wansford on the River Nene, locks major improvements are now complete that ensure they continue to operate safely and reliably for years to come. At Brampton, work included improvements within the lock chamber and enhancing the surrounding pathways. At both locations, mechanical improvements have been made to the guillotine gate. Gate improvements have also been made at Upware and St Ives.
Environment Agency Anglian Waterways manager Katherine Briscombe said: “We are delighted to have completed this range of works to get the Anglian Waterways open for business.
“In total, we invested in more than £5.2 million worth of investments in 2025/26 and look forward to delivering more investment programmes in the coming years that will further improve our customers’ experiences on the local waterways.”
Similar to excise duty for road vehicles, boat registration fees allow the Agency to manage and maintain more than 600 miles of inland waterways in England. Boats include any vessel with or without a motor, such as sailing boats, river boats, canal boats or houseboats, as well as open boats such as canoes, paddle boards, rowing boats or dinghies. During the 2025/26 season, 35 unregistered boats were removed from Anglian Waterways.
Responding to the announcement, Sue O’Hare, chair of the Inland Waterways Association’s Navigation Committee, said: “£5.2m won’t address the growing backlog of maintenance and infrastructure renewal needed across the network managed by EA. It is not just EA waters; too much of the waterways suffers from ageing assets, closures and declining reliability. Without a long-term investment commitment, these problems will only become more frequent and costly to address. There are some positive aspects to this announcement, but it is business-as-usual money, and the network is under unusual pressure.”
