A barge moored in Brindley Place Birmingham

All Press Releases

Graffiti removal prject will reveal lost detail of city canals

10 March 2010
Important features of Wolverhampton’s industrial heritage are set to be revealed in the coming weeks as a project to remove layers of graffiti from many of the city’s canal bridges gets underway.

New sea gates to be floated into Sharpness Docks

04 March 2010
A set of massive sea gates is being installed at Sharpness Docks to replace the original steel guardians which have given safe passage to craft and held back the might of the sea for over 50 years.

Waterways battle against alien invader

04 March 2010
British Waterways and the Environment Agency have combined resources to tackle a growing problem on Yorkshire’s canals and rivers this week, after coming under threat from an ‘alien invader’ – an invasive weed known as Floating pennywort or Hydrocotyle ranunculoides.

BW outlines plans to overcome loss of Chasewater feed

03 March 2010
British Waterways (BW) has moved to reassure boaters, event organisers and waterside businesses by preparing measures to manage water levels on the Birmingham Canal Navigations over the course of the Chasewater Reservoir works.

Engineers move quickly to repair canal bed leak

01 March 2010
British Waterways’ engineers have moved quickly to contain and repair a leak in the bed of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.

British Waterways Press Update

23 February 2010

Tom Rolt Centenary Legacy

17 February 2010
To mark the centenary of the birth of Tom Rolt, co-founder of the IWA and author of the hugely influential book Narrow Boat, British Waterways (BW) is teaming up with the IWA and The Waterways Trust to deliver a programme of youth engagement in Summer 2010. The music-led celebrations will culminate in Tom Rolt inspired musical workshops and performances at the IWA’s Tom Rolt Centenary Rally in Chester on 26 and 27 June.

Waterway works to keep historic canal flowing

15 February 2010
British Waterways is investing over half-a-million pounds this winter to undertake vital maintenance work on the historic Regent’s Canal.

A bridge too far - irresponsible drivers give British Waterways the hump

11 February 2010
British Waterways is asking speeding motorists to slow down when crossing the 200 year-old hump-back bridges that span the nation’s historic canal network. Each year, British Waterways spends up to £2.5million fixing the damage caused by irresponsible drivers, diverting vital resources away from maintaining the 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in its care.

Help clean up our canals, say Bill Bryson and British Waterways

10 February 2010
Q: What do shopping trolleys, an aeroplane propeller and a fridge of food have in common? A: They were all pulled out of the UK’s canals last year during Towpath Tidy The 2,200 miles of canals and rivers managed by British Waterways are part of our national heritage, but they can be blighted by littering, fly tipping and graffiti. Bill Bryson, best-selling author and President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is once again urging the 11 million people who use the nation’s canals and rivers to tackle the problems of rubbish on their local waterway during this year’s Towpath Tidy.