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CANAL BREACH severs north-south route

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February 4, 2025

THE IWA has voiced its concern about the implications of the Bridgewater Canal embankment collapse in Greater Manchester on New Year’s Day. A section of the embankment at Dunham Massey crumbled after sustained heavy rainfall, resulting in water pouring into neighbouring fields and flooding a sewage works. The BBC reported that 90mm of rain fell…
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THE END for itinerant boaters?

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February 3, 2025

THE National Bargee Travellers Association claims a new review into licensing could see the end of travelling life on the UK’s waterways. The association, which represents 2000 boat owners who travel the waterways but don’t have a home mooring, believes the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) new independent review of licensing may try to remove…
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CANALS can help tackle UK crises

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February 1, 2025

CANALS can help tackle three crises facing the UK today – erosion of biodiversity, public health and climate change – according to a new report. The report demonstrates how the UK’s unique network of historic canals, a legacy of the Industrial Revolution, are being repurposed to address some of the greatest challenges facing society. The…
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CANAL SOCIETY looks back to the future

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January 31, 2025

IT WAS a busy end of year for the Shropshire Union Canal Society with work parties, success on the Montgomery Canal and ghostly discoveries on the cut. A work party in December concentrated on hedge-laying at Crickheath, with volunteers putting in the final few hours of the year – taking the total for the society…
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INDEFINITE CLOSURE: Walsall canal section

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January 30, 2025

BOATERS will have to wait until they can navigate the section of the Walsall Canal closed following a toxic chemical spillage last year. Although the towpath has reopened alongside the affected section, boaters are still prohibited from using north of Ocker Hill to Wyrley and Essington Canal. There is no date for it to reopen.…
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WATERWAYS: Accessible for everyone

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January 29, 2025

Lucy Wood reports… THE Accessible Waterways Association (AWA) has been reflecting on 2024, its first full year as an official association. Its founders, Tim and Tracey Clarke, said: “It has been a very busy year indeed, and included participation in the Boatlife exhibition at Birmingham’s NEC in February, the Crick Boat Show in May, the…
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DRONES USED for swing bridge inspection

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January 28, 2025

ENGINEERS used specialist drones to inspect the Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge in Cheshire as part of plans for summer repairs. The Canal & River Trust swung the bridge, which crosses the River Weaver, open twice during the inspection to allow engineers to see all parts of the bridge. Engineers used specialist drone equipment to help…
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LAUNCHED: Cash appeal to restore wooden boat

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January 27, 2025

A WOODEN canal boat which will help give relief to people with mental health issues is to undergo a restoration in 2025 – if enough cash is raised. Organisers of the Southam project hope the public will support them as they refurbish the boat, which is owned by the Wooden Canal Boat Society (WCBS). They…
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DEVASTATING. Three weeks on from canal bank collapse

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January 25, 2025

ENGINEERS are still assessing the damage and extent of repairs needed at the Bridgewater Canal in Greater Manchester. 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. It also left…
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CREDIBLE? Canal restoration study called into question

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January 24, 2025

THE Neath and Tennant Canals Trust has hit out after a key element in plans to restore the waterways to full navigation was deleted from a consultation exercise. The trust has registered a formal complaint with Neath Port Talbot Council about the way the consultation was conducted, stating that the omission of the commitment to…
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£55K FINES for unregistered boats

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January 23, 2025

A COURT crackdown on unregistered boats moored on the River Thames has seen 40 owners fined a total of £55,000. And the Environment Agency warned more patrols are planned to track down non-payers. On the River Thames alone, the agency recorded more than 10,000 boats during a census. The Environment Agency brought the latest round…
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WINTER on the cut

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January 22, 2025

Kevin Thomas reports… SOMETIMES you know when winter announces its arrival before you have even stepped off your boat. Perhaps it’s an early morning dusting of frost or a gossamer curtain of fog over the water and, although barely discernible, the silhouettes of moored boats. Out on the water, a lone black-headed gull floats patiently,…
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UNDER DEVELOPMENT: More efficient solar panels

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January 21, 2025

Phil Pickin reports… THERE are a number of obstacles to overcome if boat owners want to be more independent when it comes to generating their own electricity. The UK’s lack of sunshine is certainly a major problem, as is a lack of space on the roof of their boats, so to optimise the space available,…
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ENERGISING Britain’s waterways

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January 20, 2025

Phil Pickin attended an interesting and occasionally entertaining British Marine Midlands annual meeting. WORCESTERSHIRE County Cricket Club once again played host to the British Marine Inland Conference in mid-November. The annual event was sponsored by Haven Knox-Johnston, Barrus, Hoseasons, ProMarine Finance, Aqueduct Marina, Waterways Holidays and Inland and Coastal Marina Systems with the aim of…
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