Here's our safety advice for walkers and boaters on what to do or think about if your local canal or river has flooded.
The following tips have been put together with advice from RNLI Flood Rescue Team.
It’s rare for our canals and towpaths to flood because we manage the water levels all year. If a canal and towpath does flood, it’s usually where the canal is near a river and the river has flooded over into the canal. Of course, sometimes we can’t predict mother nature and water levels can rise so here's what to remember if there is a flood:
Boaters are likely to be acutely aware of changes in water levels, particularly if you live on a boat. Remember to:
If you tie your boat too tight to a mooring that's affected by rising levels the first thing that’s going to happen is the boat will tilt. If it’s tilting to the side of the boat with water outlets (sink, basin, shower etc) you run the risk of the boat filling up with water as the flood waters rush in, same also applies to engine air vents. The outcome is inevitably sinking.
If your ropes are in poor condition or the mooring they are fixed to is in a poor condition they can break and your boat can disappear with the flow of the flood waters downstream and all the potential hazards that brings.
For more information on how to stay safe near flood water, visit the Environment Agency and ROSPA websites.
Last date edited: 12 August 2020