inland waterways

Maritime law expert is charity’s new chair

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January 12, 2026

International trade and maritime law specialist Susan Hawker has been appointed as the Maritime Volunteer Service’s new chair. BRINGING more than 30 years of expertise to the role, Susan, from Greenwich, took over at the charity’s AGM on November 15. She has combined a distinguished academic career with consultancy, training, and mediation work around the…
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VOLUNTEERING EXCELLENCE on nation’s canals

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December 31, 2025

Volunteering has been one of the standout success stories of the Canal & River Trust since it was formed in 2012. Today, around 5,500 volunteers regularly give their time to support the charity’s work, contributing nearly three-quarters of a million volunteer hours in the past financial year alone. Reflecting both this growth and the increasing…
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CANAL REOPENS after £850K repair

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December 30, 2025

Boats have returned to cruising the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire following the completion of an £850,000 repair project to fix a serious breach caused earlier this year. The breach occurred when an old culvert carrying a stream beneath the canal collapsed, damaging the towpath, embankment and canal bed. To carry out the complex repair,…
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WIGAN CANAL REOPENS after water main burst

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December 28, 2025

Boats have returned to cruising the seven-mile Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Wigan following its closure in August caused by a burst water main. Engineers from the Canal & River Trust worked closely with United Utilities, which owns the damaged main, to complete a bespoke repair to the canal bank between…
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NATIONAL HONOUR for waterways photographer

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December 24, 2025

National Historic Ships UK, a government-funded but independent organisation, has announced the winners of its annual photography competition celebrating maritime heritage across the UK. The organisation provides objective advice to UK governments and local authorities, funding bodies, and the historic ships sector on all matters relating to historic vessels. Kev, from Tipton in the West…
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BREACH at Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal: what we know so far

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December 23, 2025

A major embankment failure on the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch has led to the closure of a key section of the waterway while emergency services and engineers assess the damage and plan repairs. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday 22 December 2025, close to New Mills Lift Bridge, and resulted in a…
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CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS to UK Waterways Raised in Parliament

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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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NAVIGATION CHARGES on the Broads welcomed by IWA

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December 17, 2025

The Broads Authority has invited public comment on proposals for a below-inflation increase in boat tolls for 2026/27, alongside planned investment in navigation improvements across the Broads. Under the proposal, boat tolls would rise by 2.5%, despite a continuing decline in boat numbers. The authority says this has been made possible following recognition by Defra…
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