Weed-choked river cleared allowing boats to pass
BBCWeed has been removed from a river in Lincolnshire after people complained they were unable to use the waterway.
Anthony Grunwell, of Spalding Water Taxi and Boat Hire, said the River Welland at Spalding had become unnavigable, forcing him to suspend the service for two weeks.
Grunwell said contractors on behalf of the Environment Agency (EA) had started working on Friday to lift the weed and have done a "marvellous" job. He hopes to restart the taxi service next week.
A spokesperson for the EA said: "We understand people's love of this river and are working with our partners to remove the blockage and resolve the issue."
The EA said weed growth and algal blooms were more common during periods of hot, dry weather.
The spokesperson had said the work to improve conditions would start on Saturday, but Grunwell said they arrived a day early.
"They cracked on straight away and did a marvellous job, and they opened up the river," said Grunwell, who has been working with the EA to solve the problem.
"They're still operating further upstream, just checking that there isn't any stuff there waiting to come down and block it all again."
The taxi, a not-for-profit service, usually operates between various points in the town centre and outskirts of Spalding.
Grunwell said the suspension of the service had let a lot of people down.
"It's hit us hard, but we've got to get over that, and we will do," he said.
"Perhaps we've all learnt a lot over these two weeks and so we can make sure that looking to the future, it doesn't happen again."
The EA said it was responsible for maintaining the River Welland for navigation and was funded to remove obstructions to reduce the flood risk to local communities.
The agency said weed and other floating vegetation rarely pose a significant flood risk.
The organisation said they had invested more than £80,000 so far in 2026 in weed cutting and management works on the river through Spalding and upstream towards Crowland.
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