Boaters on 'high alert' to canal restrictions

Boaters travelling along the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire say restrictions on using locks put in place to conserve water have put them on "high alert".

Martin Rigby, 55, from Warwickshire, who lives on his boat, said it meant everyone had to "plan and be ready" if the situation changes.

Last week, the Canal & River Trust (CRT) said the Northampton Arm of the canal had been closed and restrictions were in place in Braunston, Long Buckby and Stoke Bruerne.

While travelling through Stoke Bruerne, Rigby said the restrictions would "hopefully make sure that the water in the reservoirs lasts".

The Grand Union Canal can be fed by local reservoirs, such as Drayton and Daventry, and also by pumping water from rivers such as the Great Ouse and Tove.

When reservoir or river levels are low, that supply is limited so the canals have to conserve what water is already in them.

Rigby, who keeps his boat at Culcutt Marina near Daventry, said the locks at Stoke Bruerne were only open between 10:00 and 14:00 BST and queues had formed.

"It's not desperate but you just need to be aware," he said.

"I think everyone that I know on the network is on high alert now.

"Northampton Arm's already closed — you now have to plan and be ready."

Mike Partridge, from the Stoke Bruerne Boat Company, said the restrictions were not having an impact on him as he ran 25-minute trips up and down the canal and did not use any locks.

"What it is doing is affecting people on the other boats because obviously they've only got between 10 o'clock in the morning until 2 o'clock to get through, which can cause a little bit of chaos, but at the moment everything is just floating along quite nicely," he said.

"Last year we had a very dry winter. The reservoirs were not full when we started.

"This year we're having a dry summer, but the reservoirs were full so I am keeping my fingers crossed very tightly that it'll be OK this year."

Amanda Hinds, from Odell in Bedfordshire, said the situation was "very worrying" as she was making sure she planned where to get water and where to empty waste.

"If you're stuck where you can't do that, you cannot live on your boat," she said.

"I'm staying in an area where I know there are those facilities."

The CRT said that due to the lack of rain it was saving as much water as possible and it was transferring "the flow that's available to the right places on the network to meet demand".

It hoped the temporary measures would preserve supplies and keep navigations open for boating for as long as possible.

Steve Round, from Ingleton in North Yorkshire, has been travelling on the canals since November and was heading towards London.

He said the restrictions were "a bit of a nuisance".

"But it's all down to water and there's nothing we can do about that; we can't blame anybody except nature.

"We'll just do what we can do for as long as we can do it, because we can't do anything about it."

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