Environment Agency

Expanding citizen science on England’s waterways

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Web Editor

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June 17, 2026

A pilot project testing a digital tool that lets you report on the health of your local waterways in real time, directly from your phone, ends next month. BluePrint, developed by the Environment Agency in partnership with Hello Lamp Post, follows WaterWatch, a year-long pilot that gathered public observations at five bathing water sites. The…
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Biggest boat clean-up in a decade underway on Upper Thames

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Mark Lancaster

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June 13, 2026

‘Sunk, wrecked, abandoned – they’ve got to go,’ says Environment Agency as Thames boat crackdown continues “Sunk, wrecked, abandoned – they’ve got to go.” That is the message from the Environment Agency’s deputy director of navigation as 53 boats have already been removed in an ongoing crackdown on the non-tidal Thames. The agency is on…
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Call for evidence launches on pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways

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Web Editor

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May 24, 2026

A NEW call for evidence to address the presence of chemicals from flea and tick treatments in rivers and streams across the UK has launched. Recent research funded by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) found the application of certain flea and tick treatments by pet owners is contributing to these chemicals being detected in watercourses.…
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Repeat boat registration offenders return to court after failing to pay Thames fees

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Web Editor

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February 5, 2026

Seven repeat boat owners have appeared in court for a second time after failing to pay annual Environment Agency registration fees on the non-tidal River Thames. The cases follow patrols at Penton Hook marina and form part of ongoing enforcement action against registration evasion. Seven reoffending boat owners have faced a second appearance in court…
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CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS to UK Waterways Raised in Parliament

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Web Editor

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December 18, 2025

Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Waterways have heard urgent expert evidence on the growing impacts of climate change on the UK’s inland waterways, including canals, rivers and low-lying navigation systems. Meeting under the secretariat of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the APPG received evidence from the Canal & River Trust (CRT)…
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SLURRY OVERFLOW From dairy leads to major river pollution and court fine

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Web Editor

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December 15, 2025

A firm has been prosecuted for allowing cattle slurry to overflow from a lagoon, polluting a nearby river for four kilometres. Manor Farm Dairy Ltd, of Manor Farm, Hilfield, Dorchester, appeared before Taunton Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to an offence of causing a discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into a local river.…
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FARMER FINED for slurry pollution

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Web Editor

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December 12, 2025

A FARMER has been ordered to pay £7048 for illegally discharging slurry into a river due to a leaking pipe. Timothy Juckes, 48, of Tredington, near Tewkesbury, pleaded guilty to illegally discharging slurry into the River Swilgate, on November 14 and 15, 2022. He was fined £1086 and ordered to pay costs of £5528.50 and…
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£55K FINES for unregistered boats

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Web Editor

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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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‘IMPRESSIVE & REFRESHING’: Meeting with the Environment Agency

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Web Editor

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October 7, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… Campaigners championing accessibility on the UK’s waterways said a meeting with the Environment Agency to discuss moorings and facilities was ‘impressive’ and ‘refreshing’. TRACEY and Tim Clarke, founders of the Accessible Waterways Association, were invited to the Denver Complex on the River Great Ouse Relief Channel, near Downham Market, Norfolk, to explore…
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Take A Friend Fishing – Twelve days of opportunity for festive angling success.

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Web Editor

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December 8, 2023

A new experience for your winter holidays To access the Take a Friend Fishing initiative this winter between Friday 22nd December and Tuesday 2nd January (inclusive), existing fishing licence holders can register for a FREE one-day fishing licence from the Environment Agency at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk and take someone they know fishing. Get Involved with Angling This…
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Historic Thames locks receive £9.5m investment

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Web Editor

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August 12, 2023

THE Environment Agency’s Navigation Programme has invested £9.5 million into the non-tidal Thames over 2022/23 and delivered a variety of refurbishment projects from Rushey Lock in West Oxfordshire to Romney Lock in Windsor. These include improvements to public safety, resilience and amenity works to make visiting locks an even more pleasant experience for boaters out…
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NEW SAFETY FILMS TO BENEFIT FIRST-TIME BOATERS

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Web Editor

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April 1, 2023

A new series of animated films designed to help boaters navigate the UK’s inland waterways safely have been launched by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency. The five short, animated videos, available on YouTube, are designed primarily for new boaters, including hire boaters. They give straightforward guidance on staying safe when boating,…
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Is this waterpoint keeping your drinking water safe?

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Web Editor

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November 23, 2022

From Towpath Talk reader Kevin Roberts, and a reply from the Environment Agency! NEW technology never seen before? No, it’s a new take on an Elizabethan toilet system! Between the years 1584 and 1591, Sir John Harrington, godson of Elizabeth I, invented a water closet with a raised cistern and a small downpipe through which…
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River Thames winter stoppages

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Web Editor

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October 22, 2022

THE Environment Agency is investing £9 million as part of its annual programme of essential works along the non-tidal River Thames. It is needed to replace or keep maintained 45 locks, their associated structures and towpath bridges, in reliable condition for the continued safe enjoyment of boaters and all visitors. The following locks will be…
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