inland waterways

  • Coombeswood Canal Trust Open Weekend & Boat Gathering returns to Hawne Basin this June

    Coombeswood Canal Trust Open Weekend & Boat Gathering returns to Hawne Basin this June

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    Visitors are invited to Hawne Basin in Halesowen this June as the Coombeswood Canal Trust hosts its annual Open Weekend & Boat Gathering, celebrating the Dudley No.2 Canal and the work of the trust. Taking place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026 between 11am and 4.30pm, the event promises a packed waterside weekend…

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  • Repeat boat registration offenders return to court after failing to pay Thames fees

    Repeat boat registration offenders return to court after failing to pay Thames fees

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    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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  • Bridgewater Canal repair programme moves into next phase following Little Bollington breach

    Bridgewater Canal repair programme moves into next phase following Little Bollington breach

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    THE Bridgewater Canal repair programme following the New Year’s Day 2025 breach at Little Bollington has now moved into its next phase, with stabilisation works nearing completion and the formal design process for reinstating the embankment now underway. SLR Consulting appointed as principal consultant As part of this progression, SLR Consulting has been appointed as…

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  • Historic Narrowboat Norway Reborn: 1927 Wooden Cargo Boat Returns as a Steel Replica

    Historic Narrowboat Norway Reborn: 1927 Wooden Cargo Boat Returns as a Steel Replica

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    A historic British waterways workboat has been brought back to life after nearly a century, as Norway, a wooden cargo narrowboat first launched in 1927, has been reborn as a faithful steel replica following an eight-year restoration project. Originally built in 1927 for the Anderton Company, the 72ft ‘knobstick’ motor narrowboat spent decades carrying cargo…

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  • Fresh face at trust

    Fresh face at trust

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    Former Canal & River Trust chief executive Richard Parry has been appointed a patron of the Avon Navigation Trust (ANT), strengthening the charity’s leadership as it continues its work caring for the River Avon. Based in Solihull, Richard Parry said he was delighted to accept the role and to join a respected group of patrons…

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  • Maritime law expert is charity’s new chair 

    Maritime law expert is charity’s new chair 

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    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

    VOLUNTEERING EXCELLENCE on nation’s canals

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    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

    CANAL REOPENS after £850K repair

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    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

    WIGAN CANAL REOPENS after water main burst

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    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

    NATIONAL HONOUR for waterways photographer

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    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

    BREACH at Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal: what we know so far

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    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

    CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS to UK Waterways Raised in Parliament

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    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

    NAVIGATION CHARGES on the Broads welcomed by IWA

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    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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