Skip to main content

The charity making life better by water

2018 national boat count shows licensing evasion at historic low

Our annual national boat count shows that licence evasion on our waterways is at its lowest-ever level, with 96.9% of boats holding up-to-date licences (2017: 96.3%).

Moored boats double breast along a busy stretch of the Leicester Line Grand Union

Jon Horsfall, our interim head of boating said: "This is a fantastic achievement for our boat licensing customer support team. They are out every day helping boaters with their licence requirements and trying to find ways to work things out when a boater might run into problems. When boaters talk to us about difficulties they may be having, we are nearly always able to come up with a solution to keep them licensed.

"It's important that boats are licensed correctly. Not only does this mean they're insured and hold a boat safety certificate, but it means they're playing their part in contributing to the huge task of keeping our canals and rivers open. The income from boat licensing is crucial – in 2017/18 leisure licences contributed £20.2m, around 10% of total income – and it's important that it's shared fairly by everyone who keeps a boat on our waterways.

"Unfortunately, a small minority continue to enjoy the benefits of boating on the waterways without putting anything back to fund their upkeep. In 2017/18 we had to remove 108 boats from our canals and rivers as they were unlicensed or in breach of our terms and conditions."

The national boat count also paints a picture of the changing numbers of boats across the country. Our waterways in London have seen growth slowing: up 2.4%, compared to growth of over 9% in 2016/17. The North also saw an increase of 2.3%, while other areas remained static.

The survey, completed in March, records boats on waterways across England & Wales and provides a comprehensive snap-shot of licence evasion. The information is used to support the day-to-day work carried out by us.

404

We'd love to tell you more

Our newsletter is packed full of exciting updates and stories of how our charity keeps canals alive.

Last Edited: 10 October 2018

photo of a location on the canals
newsletter logo

Stay connected

Sign up to our monthly newsletter and be the first to hear about campaigns, upcoming events and fundraising inspiration