Britain’s canals are in danger of disappearing

UNLESS more funds are forthcoming Canal & River Trust believe that Britain’s canals are in danger of disappearing.

It is warning that extra funding is needed to protect the waterways against storms and floods, Janet Friend reports.

It  warned that stretches of waterway will suffer irreparable damage, and tells that historic sections of the Grand Union Canal and the scenic Oxford Canal could close without help.

Major fundraising campaign

The trust, whose patron is King Charles, has now launched a major fundraising campaign to raise the millions of pounds needed to undertake a programme to replace ageing lock gates and carry out repairs on tunnels and bridges.

It says the work is vital to preserve the 2,000 miles canal network, which provides a haven for wildlife as well as thousands of jobs along its route and health benefits for people who use it.

Richard Parry, chief executive warns:

“Whilst the canal network is cherished by today’s society, it is, however, also facing a perfect storm, with costs rising and support from government reducing.

”We’re bracing ourselves for more costly damage from extreme weather but also working to make these aged former transport routes, and the wildlife they support, as resilient as possible.

“Our specialist teams of skilled workers and volunteers will be giving long hours, carrying out heritage conservation works, and fighting to respond to the storms that are becoming ever more common.”

In very real danger

The call for more cash has been backed by the Inland Waterways Association, that has warned Britain’s waterways are 'in very real danger of disappearing' without proper investment by the government.

Major storms caused almost £10 million of additional and unforeseen repairs to the network over the past 18 months, including a major landslip on the Oxford Canal last February, when 4,000 tonnes of mud slipped 18 metres, completely severing one of the busiest and oldest canals in the country.

In October parts of the Grand Union Canal bank and towpath were washed away just south of Leicester, requiring repairs of £500,000 to a 100m section of the canal wall and towpath, while in Lancashire a breached dam caused a towpath to collapse. There was also widespread flood damage across the canals in the East Midlands.

The Canal and River Trust maintains the money it receives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which accounts for a quarter of its income, is set to fall by more than £300 million in real terms from 2027, following a government spending review last year.