Work underway thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players
You may remember that, a month or so ago, we announced that six of our large-scale lock gate replacement projects are possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. This fantastic support enables 20 lock gates, which have reached the end of their 25-year lives, to be removed and replaced with new ones.
Two of these, at Ham Lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal and City Road Lock on the Regent’s Canal, have already started. Here’s an update from London:
Both projects are part of our essential winter stoppage programme which this season spans 45 canals and rivers nationwide, including 137 separate projects at more than 100 locks, 14 bridges, two tunnels and a host of embankments, sluices, culverts and canal walls. The work continues through until mid-March.
Navigation prioritised with repairs to Anderton Boat Lift
One of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’, the programme of works at Anderton Boat Lift is set to be prioritised during the year ahead to see it back open and operational for boaters.
The investment will enable the lift to transfer boats between the Trent & Mersey Canal and the River Weaver once again in 2027. This will remedy the fault with the structure’s caisson gates, discovered during routine maintenance earlier this year, and also provide an overdue update to the lift’s operating system required to make the lift’s passage of boats more resilient.
A much larger project
A much larger project at the Anderton site, that would require additional and currently unaffordable capital expenditure from us as well as the submission of a successful bid to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is being paused. This means we are prioritising the investment needed for navigation but deferring the painting of the lift’s three-storey high iron superstructure together with investment in the attraction’s Visitor Centre.
The construction of Anderton Boat Lift, Anderton Basin (c 1870s)
Jon Horsfall, our regional director, comments: “The priority for our charity is getting the lift open and operational for navigation. It is a remarkable structure and a defining landmark of Britain’s waterways that continues to hold national significance for the canal network.
“The team remains committed to the long-term future of the Anderton Boat Lift. We are focussing on the works required to reopen navigation, whilst pausing the additional spend elsewhere at the lift which is currently unaffordable. In doing so, we are making sure that the limited money our charity has stretches as far as possible so that there is adequate investment in other key areas for navigation including locks, bridges, aqueducts and the network as a whole.
“I’d like to thank our volunteers, donors, partners and the continued interest and vital support we received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, both here at Anderton but also across the North West and wider canal network.”
Excited to welcome boaters and guests
We've already commissioned the detailed design of new gate lifting equipment to replace the wire rope system. The installation will happen over the winter of 2026/27 with one caisson being opened in time for the summer season in 2027 and the other caisson also opening as soon as possible after that. Although this seems a long time off, the works are complicated and time consuming. They will see a new lifting mechanism installed on ten separate gates, replacing the current ropes, wires and pulleys. The new system will be robust, future proof, safe to operate and safer to maintain.
Anderton Boat Lift remains a popular visitor attraction, and the team is excited to welcome guests over the winter period. The Anderton Boat Lift Visitor Centre and coffee shop are open every weekend (10am-4pm) throughout the winter season. Don’t miss the free drop-in craft activities running this December, and popular Santa Cruises for songs and stories with Santa and his elves as you travel along the River Weaver.
Wigan canal reopens to boats after water main burst
Boats can return to cruising the seven-mile length of the Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Wigan as it reopens following a large water main burst in August.
Our engineers worked closely with United Utilities, who owns the water main, to carry out a bespoke repair to the canal bank between Poolstock Lock and Bamfurlong Bridge.
Contractors installed ramps to allow vehicles and machinery to safely gain access and excavate the embankment and canal bed in order to reach the burst water main, part of Rivington Aqueduct, which feeds 29,000 properties in the Wigan and Warrington area.
The burst water main was isolated, and the canal bed was rebuilt by lining the bed with around 300 tonnes of clay and compacting it, ensuring it is watertight, and installing metal trench sheeting along a 20m section of the canal wash wall to strengthen it.
Ariel view of burst water main repairs on Leigh Branch
Delighted to reopen the branch
Gareth Taylor, one of our engineers, said: “We’re delighted that the Leigh branch has reopened to boaters. It’s a short but mighty local treasure and is highly valued by boaters and local people for its nature, heritage, and, of course, for navigation. There were some unique challenges involved in this complex repair and our specialist engineers have worked closely with United Utilities to get the canal back open as soon as we possibly could. Thank you to everyone for your patience and support whilst this work was carried out.”
The Leigh branch runs for seven miles, from the junction with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal main line at Wigan, to Leigh, where it joins the Stretford and Leigh Branch of the Bridgewater Canal.
Spotlight on the Waterways Chaplaincy
If you’ve spent any time on the cut recently, you may well have come across the Waterways Chaplains – those friendly, gilet-wearing volunteers who always seem to have a smile, a listening ear, and time for a chat. Their role is simple but significant: to walk the waterways, meet boaters and others where they are, and offer practical, emotional, and spiritual support to anyone who wants it.
Our welfare team often work alongside the Chaplains. Whether it’s helping someone navigate a tricky bit of paperwork, getting through a lock, connecting boaters with local services, offering a check-in during difficult times, or simply sharing a cuppa and a conversation, the Chaplains are a reassuring presence for many who call the waterways home. They work quietly, without fuss, and always at the pace and preference of the person they’re supporting.
Over the past year, they’ve assisted around 1,800 boaters facing isolation, ill health, financial pressures, or the everyday challenges of continuous cruising. What with the drought and the restrictions on movement, their practical help was needed more than ever. Much of their work though happens out of sight – confidential, one-to-one, and based entirely on trust – but its impact is widely felt across our boating community.
Waterways chaplains delivering shopping
The Chaplaincy’s work is carried out by trained volunteers, but keeping this network going does involve unavoidable costs: travel, training, back office support, and essential resources for supporting boaters in crisis. If you value their presence on the cut and would like to help them continue this quiet but important work, any contribution, no matter how modest, makes a genuine difference.
To find out more, or to support the Chaplaincy’s work, you can visit their website or speak to a local Waterways Chaplain next time you spot one on the towpath. Why not sign up to get their monthly newsletter? They would be delighted to hear from you!
Fund Britain’s Waterways responds to the Budget
Fund Britain’s Waterways is a coalition of organisations representing hundreds of thousands of users and supporters of inland waterways to campaign collectively for an increase in government funding of Britain’s inland waterways. The campaign aims to avert the decline of our waterways, and to promote awareness of the huge economic, environmental and social well-being value they provide. Established in June 2023, it has more than 160 member organisations.
Reflecting its disappointment in the Chancellor’s autumn Budget, it released this statement.With more events planned for 2026, it’s well worth keeping an eye on its website and supporting its campaign.
Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend
As you’ll know, our major winter repair and restoration programme is underway. This means there will be more closures than usual as we replace lock gates, mend sluices and complete a whole range of jobs to prepare the network for next year’s cruising. You can find out where we’ve started work with this link.
Of course, as we enter the more volatile months of winter there’s a higher chance of extreme weather which may also impact navigation.
When this does happen, or we have to unexpectedly repair something, we get notices up on to our website as soon as we can – it’s always best to have a scan while you’re planning your cruise and also just before you set off. You can find out how to get stoppage notification alerts on your smartphone in this article.
Below, you’ll find a list of navigations that have ongoing restrictions, that aren’t part of our winter stoppage programme, that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend:
