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The charity making life better by water

Kennet & Avon Canal ready for summer boaters

We have recently completed a major project that will make it easier for boat owners and holidaying tourists to visit Wiltshire’s Kennet & Avon Canal this summer.

Kennet Avon

Over the past six months, we have been dredging the canal and has removed 17,000 tonnes of silt – the equivalent of 38 Boeing 747 planes.

The dredging between Pewsey and Wootton Rivers makes the canal deeper and therefore easier for boats to enjoy the 200-year old manmade waterway.

And Wiltshire's farmers benefited from our work as the nutrient-rich silt removed from the canal was spread on adjacent fields. This saved hundreds of road miles by avoiding lorries taking the dredgings to a tip.

Paul Fox, from the Canal & River Trust, said: "It has been great working on the beautiful Kennet & Avon Canal. The waterway is such a wonderful resource and the work the Canal & River Trust does is really important as it ensures the canal is here for local people to enjoy as well as all the tourists who flock to the Kennet & Avon Canal each summer and support local shops and restaurants."

Kingfisher in flight with small fish in its beak

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Last Edited: 14 June 2017

photo of a location on the canals
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