Canal & River Trust

CRT: Faster response to repairs promised

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November 25, 2024

THE Canal and River Trust has promised to speed up its response to waterway repairs in 2025. The trust has set new targets for emergency repairs and maintenance on the UK’s canal and river network. In addition, it plans to recruit a new volunteer trustee to its board who can be the voice of waterway…
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SELLARS SWING BRIDGE: Repairs complete

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November 13, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… THE Canal & River Trust has completed a six-week programme of repairs to Sellars Swing Bridge, which carries Sellars Road over the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. The increased weight in vehicles over the years had taken a toll on the condition of the bridge, which dates to the 1950s. The repairs were…
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CHESHIRE LOCK: Open again after £10k repair

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November 12, 2024

HUNTS Lock on the Weaver Navigation in Cheshire is now open to boaters after a complex repair operation by the Canal & River Trust. The work means the link between the 250-year-old waterway and the Trent and Mersey Canal, via the Anderton Boat Lift, is now working again. The trust had to bring in cranes,…
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£140K DREDGING: 1200 Tonnes of silt removed

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November 6, 2024

THE Canal and River Trust has spent £140,000 dredging the River Soar in Leicester, removing more than 1200 tonnes of silt as part of works to make it easier for boaters and encourage wildlife. The work was carried out on a 500-metre section of the river at Limekiln Lock, near Abbey Park, as well as…
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ANCIENT CRAFTS: Demonstrated along the Leeds & Liverpool

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November 4, 2024

CROWDS enjoyed a series of free special blacksmith’s forge demonstrations to celebrate this year’s Heritage Open Days at Apperley Bridge, Bradford close to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Thanks to Canal & River Trust volunteer and former blacksmith David Wadsworth and fellow volunteer Phil ‘bellow boy’ Bristow, the charity was able to reignite history and…
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Attends canalside memorial

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November 1, 2024

A MEMORIAL plaque has been unveiled to commemorate and celebrate the life of Michelle Hodgkinson, who died after being attacked in Tameside close to the Ashton Canal last year. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner joined Michelle’s family and friends to unveil the special tribute to the 51-year-old mum and grandmother on the canal towpath as…
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INVASIVE WEEDS: Floating digger brought in

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October 31, 2024

A FLOATING digger is the latest weapon being used by the Canal & River Trust to tackle invasive weeds in the waterways. The trust has spent £1 million a year on various methods to tackle plants which clog the canals and rivers it looks after. There is even a UK conference later this month which…
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CANALS STRATEGY: To breathe life into historic waterways

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October 28, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… THE Canal & River Trust and Active Black Country have unveiled the Black Country Canals Strategy 2024-2029, setting out ambitions to maximise the potential of the region’s world-famous navigable canal network. Central to the strategy are the opportunities for improvements in the health and well-being of local communities through increased access to…
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CRT: Income rises to £237m

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October 26, 2024

THE Canal & River Trust has seen its overall income increase by £12 million to £237 million in the last year, raising more from commercial operations as its reliance on government funding decreases. In what the charity says was a record year for charitable work (£208 million), it also spent £70 million on engineering works,…
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BOATING CHILDREN: Education access issues

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October 17, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… Calls are being made for the creation of a charter to protect the right of the children of constant cruisers to a reasonable journey time to school. It comes as a mass survey of water users revealed that hundreds of boaters are missing out on access to vital services such as healthcare…
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GOVERNMENT: CRT asks to ‘properly support’ vital work

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October 15, 2024

Tim Greenfield reports… THE Canal and River Trust is hoping to form a positive partnership with the new Labour Government to secure its long-term funding and halt the possibility of canal closures. It is hoping ministers will see the benefits of the waterways and agree to support its maintenance and renovation programme to stop them…
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WINTER RENOVATION: Dozens of sites targeted

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October 14, 2024

Tim Greenfield reports… WORKERS from the Canal and River Trust are poised to start a massive programme of renovation work next month. The organisation is planning repairs and conservation projects across the waterway network from November to March and is hoping there will be minimal disruption to boaters. Work, which includes installing new lock gates…
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DIVERS NEEDED for lock repair

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October 11, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… Divers were brought in by the Canal and River Trust to help make repairs to the Grade II listed Weston Lock, on the River Avon just outside Bath. The lock, which is almost 300 years old, is one of 104 between Bristol and the River Thames at Reading which make up the…
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WEEDS: Weevils fight back in £1m war

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October 4, 2024

A hungry natural enemy has been released into the waterways in a bid to munch a path for boaters and help wildlife. Tim Greenfield reports… THE Canal & River Trust believes 20,000 azolla-eating weevils introduced this year will help free up the most weed-clogged waterways in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands. The battle in…
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