Passage through three major canal routes will be restricted on Tuesday, adding to dozens of closures that are already in place due to low water levels.
It comes as the Canal and River Trust (CRT) faces a funding crisis that the charity has previously warned could lead to the indefinite closure of some routes.
The low water levels are due to the the ongoing drought affecting large swathes of the country, which means less water flows into the canals from land, rivers and reservoirs.
Opening a lock releases water from one area of a canal into the next, so CRT is closing the locks to prevent some parts of the canal from drying up completely.
The latest closures affect the Grand Union Canal – the main route connecting London to Birmingham – the Oxford Canal and the Coventry Canal.
A stranded boats sit on the canal bed of the Trent and Mersey Canal which has been closed due to low water levels (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty)
The closures are all due to low water levels, with England currently facing a “nationally significant water shortfall”, according to the Government.
“Some canals that we have no working memory of being closed because of water problems are seeing impact this year,” she said in reference to the West Midlands, Oxford and River Lea in London.
‘Our livelihood depends on the canal’
Paul Storey, an artist and YouTuber who lives on a canal boat with his partner Antony, is racing from the Coventry Canal to Cheshire so Antony can be near his job in Manchester, which he travels to twice per week. They cruise the whole network but do not want to be stuck too far from work for an extended period of time.
Paul, left, and Antony are racing across the country to be near Antony’s work when the closures hit“If there are any more closures we are going to be trapped on a section of canal and then Antony’s going to be travelling for two hours every time he goes to work.”
When the closures come into place, the floating cheese mongers will be stuck on a 15-mile stretch of canal in Northamptonshire between two locks, which means they are missing three festivals where they were planning to trade.
“It’s affecting a lot of traders. Some can’t get back to their home moorings for winter… We’re hearing that possibly some of these canals aren’t going to be fully operational until winter,” she said.
Sharon, left, and Nici run a floating cheesemongers called the Three Sheep Cheese BoatLarger rental companies are offering customers transfers to other locations on canals less affected by water shortages, while smaller operators are trying to stay open with fewer route options available.
Kate Boats, which rents out narrowboats on the Grand Union Canal, told customers this week that it was moving its boats to nearby boatyards in an attempt to keep them available for holidays.
“We’re just trying to conserve what water we have got,” he said, adding that he is worried about the impact on fish and other wildlife if water levels drop lower.
Uncertain future for the canals
Its government grant has been frozen for several years, during a period of high inflation, and its funding will be reduced by 5 per cent each year between 2027 and 2037, following a decision taken by the previous Conservative government.
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Managing the network during a drought is costly, according to Sharman, with hundreds of personnel deployed to manage water levels across the network.
“It’s an amazing interconnected system, but it was built 200 years ago, and it takes a lot of management,” Sharman said.
Sharman said it was difficult to put a date on when the canals would reopen, but said we need “a good couple of weeks of solid rain”.
For those who live, work and holiday on the canals, the impact of climate change is a concern.
“What if this continues? Each summer is getting hotter,” Storey said. “If this continues year after year, what’s going to happen to the canals?”
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