FUND BRITAIN’S WATERWAYS WITH FRANCES PHASEY
The 2026 Whitchurch Canal Festival took place as planned despite the continuing closure of the canal following the breach last December.
THE festival was well-attended, and Canal & River Trust staff were on hand to explain the work in progress to restore the canal, which is expected to reopen sometime in the spring or summer of 2027. The FBW stall attracted plenty of interest, the importance of the campaign being demonstrated by the earth-moving work going on in the background. A campaign banner was attached to the breach fencing.
Enjoy more Towpath Talk reading every month.
Click here to subscribe & save.
It is now believed that the catastrophic embankment collapse was caused by a deep-seated leak in the bank, which was originally constructed from the local sandy soil and therefore liable to erosion (the reconstructed embankment will incorporate a concrete channel). The leak itself was probably a result of clay cracking because of dry conditions; the recent weather pattern of alternating periods of very dry and very wet weather would have been a serious aggravating factor. This is a clear demonstration of the risks posed by climate change to our inland waterways, and the need for adequate resources to cope with them.
IWA AGM
The Inland Waterways Association played a leading role in the formation of the FBW campaign, and the aims of both are closely aligned. The IWA celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1946, when there was a real danger that the whole canal network would be lost. The argument successfully set out then – that closing canals would be more expensive than keeping them open – remains valid today, as does the emphasis on the huge contribution made by the waterways to the wellbeing of the nation.
The IWA’s annual general meeting at the University of Worcester on September 19 was a good opportunity to set out the FBW stall and remind IWA members who had not already done so to sign the FBW petition at www.change.org/p/fundbritainswaterways
World Rivers Day
September 27 was World Rivers Day. It has been celebrating the value of our rivers since 2005, and encourages efforts to improve stewardship of rivers internationally, recognising that they face a variety of threats related both to climate change and human misuse. It is a reminder that the need for better resources is a global issue, and that rivers, when properly cared for, are a vital part of national infrastructure as well as a beautiful feature of the landscape.
Pollution at Brentford
Failures in waterway maintenance can have dire consequences for local communities as well as waterway users. At Brentford, where water levels are low because of the continuing drought, residents have complained of floating dead animals. Excessive weed has reduced the oxygen content of the water, and there may also have been unauthorised sewage discharges. The CRT said weed has been a particular problem at Brentford because both of its West London weed clearance boats were out of action at the same time.
Autumn Budget
The FBW’s response to the 2026 Autumn Budget, as reported last issue, repeated the campaign’s call for a review of waterway funding. Our response requested that:
the importance of Britain’s inland waterways is recognised as a unique national asset and part of the national infrastructure with the potential to make an even greater contribution; the need for increased investment is acknowledged to reverse the deterioration in condition that is already happening and to counter the threats posed by climate change; and a review of government funding for all Britain’s inland waterways is carried out as a matter of urgency, with the aim of defining a sustainable funding solution to enable the current benefits of our canals and rivers to be maintained and enhanced for future generations.
FBW chair Hazel Owen said: “Britain’s inland waterways are too valuable to be allowed to decline. Timely government leadership now can help protect their environmental, economic and social benefits for decades to come.”
