Our Customer Service Facilities policy sets out our commitment to provide essential boater facilities. Water points, refuse sites and Elsan should be no more than one day* cruise apart, and pump out machines should be no more than two-day cruise apart*.
Facilities that fall outside of the essential provision include showers, public toilets, washing machines, and tumble driers. From Monday 3 November 2025, apart from some toilets at key visitor destinations and a small number of showers and toilets where third parties have expressed an interest in leasing and maintaining the site, all other non-essential locations closed. Essential facilities housed in the same buildings as closed toilets or showers will remain available.
*How long a day’s cruise would take will vary depending on the speed of travel and could be affected by weather or other factors. Rather than be specific, we’re proposing that this would normally be between 5-7 hours cruising. Two days cruising would be between 10-14 hours cruising.
Rubbish and Recycling
From Monday 31 March 2025, the government’s new ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation came into effect for most businesses in England, including Canal & River Trust. This requires waste to be separated in different types and also applied to our customer service facilities. So, all our customer service points with waste facilities for boaters have to provide individual bins for:
- Dry recyclables (paper, card, metal and plastics)
- Glass
- Food waste
- General waste
There were a small number of waste sites that required a review due to not having sufficient space or the appropriate access to remain compliant with the Simpler Recycling changes. Where we identify waste sites for closure or relocation, we will list them below and advise the next nearest site. This information will also be added at the relevant locations.
For more information please visit our rubbish and recycling page.
