The charity making life better by water

Water points and sewage disposal

You'll find water points at various places along the canals and rivers, along with toilets and special units for emptying Elsans and Portapottis.

To use toilets and empty Elsans and Portapottis

You'll need the standard Canal & River Trust Yale key, available from our shop or your local office.

To use our pump out services

You'll need more sophisticated pump out services if your boat has a holding tank. This is not covered by your licence fee. To use our self-service machines you'll need a pre-payment card, also available from the shop.

Please follow the instructions carefully. Part of the reason the cost of the cards remains high are the number of breakdowns from mis-using the equipment.

Never use a free-standing pump to pump out your tank into an Elsan disposal point. These simply don't have the capacity and there's a high risk of spillage. Polluting the canalside with raw sewage is a very serious offence, as well as a health hazard.

It may be easier to buy the service from a boatyard or marina, where someone will do the dirty work for you for a very reasonable fee.

Find a pump out

You can find our elsans and pumpouts by zooming into any of our maps showing your location. Click the red 'i' icon on the bottom right of the map to bring up the icon key.

You can also download a list of non-Trust operated pumpouts or find other local business on our Local to You pages.

Separator toilets

(also know as waterless or compost toilets)

If you're considering getting a separator/compost toilet for your boat, please only do so if you have the ability to completely compost the solid waste from your toilet yourself or have access to somewhere that will do this for you.

If you don't have the ability to do this, then getting a composting/separator toilet is not the best solution for you. Pump out and elsan facilities are available across our network that boats with tanks or cassette toilets can use instead.

If you currently have a separator/compost toilet on your boat and are not able to completely compost the solid waste from your toilet yourself or have access to somewhere that will do it for you, then the alternative disposal method of bagging and binning it is not an environmentally sustainable way to deal with this waste. Bagged solid waste disposed of in bins can also lead to cross contamination of other content, which otherwise is sorted and mostly recycled, and can require that the whole content of the bin needing to be disposed of in landfill. Sending waste to landfill adds costs as landfill taxes are charged.

If you have a separator/compost toilet on your boat and have been putting bagged and binned waste in our waste bins, you need to find an alternative way to dispose of this waste. We appreciate that you might not be able to do this straight away, and in the interim small quantities of securely bagged waste can be disposed of in Trust bins if there is no alternative.

We respectfully ask that you only do this as a last resort. From the end of December 2021 we request that no bagged solid waste from separator/compost toilets is disposed of in Canal & River Trust waste bins. We will continue to work with boaters and others to identify a sustainable solution for the disposal of this waste.

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How to buy your pump out card

Our 25 unit prepayment card - or 'pump out card' as it's known - gives you exactly one pump out at any of our pump out facilities (sorry, this doesn't include BWML marinas).

However, you can also get 25 units of electricity at some of our mooring bollards and free use of our showers.

To buy your pump out card either:

Pop in to your local Trust office

Sometimes even the best laid plans go awry and you simply don't have enough time to do either of the above. If that happens, don't worry. You can also buy cards in person at our local offices below, although you may want to call ahead to make sure they're open and have pump out cards in stock.

East Midlands

   
Newark OfficeThe Kiln, Mather Road, Newark, NG24 1FB0303 040 4040
Torksey LockTorksey, Lincolnshire, LN1 2EH01427 718202, 07884238781 
Cromwell LockCromwell, Nr Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG23 6HX01636 821213, 07887754485
Boston LockBoston, Lincolnshire, PE21 9JU01205 364864, 07712010920
West Stockwith LockWest Stockwith, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN10 4ET01427 890204, 07884238780 
Union Wharf NarrowboatsCanal Basin, Leicester Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7UW01858 432 123
The Canal MuseumStoke Bruern, Nr Towcester, Northants, NN12 7SE01604 862229

London & South East

   
Magpie & Crown Pub128 High Street, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 8EW020 8560 4570
Floating CaféLittle Venice Pool, Warwick Crescent, London, W2 6NE020 7266 1066
Lee Valley Marina- Stanstead AbbottsLee Valley Regional Park Authority, South Street, Stanstead Abbotts, SG12 8AL01920 870 499
The Brewery Tap47 Catherine Wheel Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 8BD020 8568 6006

Wales & South West

   
Devizes Office The Locks, Bath Road, Devizes, SN10 1QR0303 040 4040
Sally NarrowboatsBradford-on-Avon Marina, Trowbridge Road, Wiltshire, BA15 1UD01225 864923
ABC Leisure, Hilperton MarinaHammond Way, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8RS01225 765 243
ABC Leisure, Aldermaston WharfPadworth, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4JS01189 714123
Caen Hill CaféDevizes Locks, Caen Hill, Devizes, SN10 1QT01452 318000
Great Bedwyn Post Office90 Church Street, Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, SN8 3PF01672 870673
The Tutti Pole Café3 High Street, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 0DN01488 682515
Newbury ChandlersGreenham Island, Mill Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5SG01635 31672, 07974 088656
National Waterways Museum - GloucesterLlanothy Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester, GL1 2EH01452 318 200
Saul Junction BridgeJunction Bridge, Saul, Gloucestershire, GL2 7JZ01452 740444
Llanthony BridgeLlanothy Road, Gloucestershire, GL1 2EJ01452 312143
JandcoDiglis Basin, Diglis Road, Worcester, WR5 3BW01905 350505
Cotswold Canal TrustBell House, Wallbridge LockM, Stroud, GL5 3JS 01453 752 568
Beacon Park BoatsThe Boat House, Lanfoist Wharf, Lanfoist, NP7 9NG01873 858277
The Ponsonby ArmsMill Street, Llangollen, Denbeighshire, LL20 8RY01978 447985
Watkin & Williams (winter only)6 Berwyn Street, Llangollen, Denbeighshire, LL20 8ND01978 860652

West Midlands

   
Cambrian Office22 Cambrian House, King Edwards, Road, Birmingham, B1 2AN 01827 254350
Etruria Boat MuseumLower Bedford Street, Eturia, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7AF01782 233144
The Spar ShopStation Road, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, ST98 9DR 
Holidays Afloat, Market DraytonThe boatyard, Newcastle Road, Market Drayton, TF9 1HN01630 652641
Hatton OfficeCanal Lane, Hatton, Warwickshire, CV35 7JL 01926 626 100
Bratch LocksBratch Lane, Woomborne, Staffordshire, WV5 8DH 0303 040 4040
Lime Kiln Chandlery The Boat Shop, Mart Lane, Stourport, DY13 9EL 01299 821111
Cambrian Stores8 Kingston Row, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2NU 0121 236 8155
Ann NixonBriar Cottage, Old Warwick Road, Solihull, B94 6JU 
Village Greens26 High Street, Kinver, Stourbridge, DY7 6HF  01384 872990
Fradley Marine ServicesFradley Junction, Alrewas, Burton Upon Trent, DE13 7DN01283 790332

Yorkshire & North East

   
Standedge Tunnel and Visitor CentreWaters Road, Marsden, Huddersfield, HD7 6NQ01484 844298
Bluewater MarinaSouth End, Thorne, South Yorkshire, DN8 5QP01405 813165, 07445 543369
Nationwide Narrow BoatsHatfield Road, Thorne, South Yorkshire, DN8 5RA01405 741889
Linton Lock MarinaLinton on Ouse, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 2AZ01347 844048
Stanley Ferry MarinaFerry Lane, Stanley, Wakefield, WF3 4LT01924 201800, 07947 158642 / 07737 113009
Viking MarineAlbert Street, Goole, South Yorshire, DN14 5SY01405 765737
Goole BoathouseThe Timber Pond, Dutch Riverside, Goole, South Yorkshire, DN14 5TB01405 763985
Aspley ServicesSt Andrews Road, Apsley Basin, Huddersfield, HD1 6SD01484 514123
Shire CruisersThe Wharf, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX6 2AG01422 832712

North West

   
Bridge House Marina & Caravan ParkNateby Crossing Lane, Nateby, Garstang, PR3 0JJ01995 603 374
Renaissance, Watsons WharfLeek Road, Gawsworth, Macclesfield, SK11 0JQ 
Portland Basin MarinaLower Alma Street, Dukinfield, Cheshire, SK16 4SQ0161 330 3133
Heritage Narrow BoatsStation Road, Schollar Green, Cheshire, ST7 3JZ01782 785700
Freedom boats (Macc) LtdBrook Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 7AW01625 420042
Kings Lock ChandleryBooth Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0JJ01606 737564
Anderton Boat Lift Anderton, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 6FW01606 786777
Lockside Stores (summer season)Grindley Brook, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 4QH01948 663385
Canal CentralMaesbury Marsh, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 8JG01691 652168
National Waterways MuseumSouth Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, CH65 4FW0151 3555017
J P Marine UK LtdTaylors Boatyard, Upper Cambrian, Road, Chester, CH1 4FB01244 379922
Midway Boats Barbridge Marina, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 6BE 01270 528482
Overwater MarinaCoole Lane, Newhall, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 8AY01270 812677

Last Edited: 03 October 2023

photo of a location on the canals
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