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Issue 154, August 2018
APPEAL TO SAVE P14 STEAM TUG
HARBOUR’S FESTIVAL DEBUT
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BOAT REVIEW: SHROPSHIRE MAID
P68 Poirot star David Suchet dramatically declares the Braunston Historic Boat Rally open as Raymond passes under the Thomas Telford cast iron bridge watched by the crowd. Rally report on page 4. PHOTO: WATERWAY IMAGES
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Heatwave forces temporary canal closures TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
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IF THE current dry spell continues, part of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal will be closed between Wigan Flight (from below lock 85) and Gargrave (from below lock 30) from Monday, July 30. In a water resource position statement issued on July 13, the Canal & River Trust announced the extension of restrictions
Green Flag awards
affecting canals in the north west where the prolonged period of dry weather has left low reservoir holdings. Jon Horsfall, head of customer service support at the Canal & River Trust, said: “We’ve taken the decision to temporarily close part of the canal to boats very reluctantly and can assure
SIX more stretches of Canal & River Trust waterways have been awarded Green Flag status by Keep Britain Tidy, taking the total to 248.5 miles. These now include all of the Pocklington and Ripon canals as well as parts of the Lancaster, Chesterfield, Montgomery, Bridgewater & Taunton canals. The award recognises spaces that boast the highest possible environmental standards, are beautifully maintained and play an important role in the local community.
everyone on that stretch of the canal that we’ll reopen for navigation as soon as we possibly can.” But he stressed that despite the prolonged dry weather and current heatwave, the vast majority of the CRT network is available for boaters and holiday-makers to enjoy as normal.
Festival campaign
THE Inland Waterways Association will use its Festival of Water in St Neots over the August bank holiday weekend to highlight its view that the Environment Agency, which manages the Anglian navigations, needs more funding. It will also promote the potential offered by proposed waterways between Bedford and Milton Keynes linking the Grand Union Canal to the river Great Ouse and the Fens Waterways Link connecting the River Witham from Boston to the River Nene in Peterborough.
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“In particular, the reservoirs which feed the summit of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal have seen very little rainfall over the past few months and so we’ve been monitoring the situation closely and working with boaters and boating businesses to make best use of the available water,” Jon explained.
Severn wildlife
WORK has begun on a £19.7 million wildlife project on the River Severn thanks largely to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the European Union LIFE programme. Unlocking the Severn for People and Wildlife is being run by the Canal & River Trust, Severn Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and Natural England. It will reopen 158 miles of the River Severn to fish, by creating routes around physical barriers preventing migration to critical spawning grounds.
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