Lock 17 Claydon Top Lock to Lock 33 Aynho Weir Lock

Canal Reopening Update – Planned Opening from Monday 27th October We're pleased to let you know that we're planning to reopen the canal from Monday 27th October, and we're aiming to remain open for one week, in line with the published opening times.   We'll be making the most of the remaining reservoir storage to support navigation, but please be aware that water levels may drop unexpectedly. If they fall too low, the canal may become unnavigable, and we could need to close again before the end of the week.   To give yourself the best chance of completing your journey, we strongly recommend planning your passage for the first half of the week.   Thank you for your understanding and continued support – we'll keep doing our best to manage water levels and keep you updated.

While the prolonged period of dry weather has now ended and rainfall so far this month is above average, there has been little to no recovery in reservoir water levels since the closure. 

However, we are hopeful that based on the anticipated increase in rainfall over the coming weeks, that we may be able to lift the closure and offer limited passage to allow movement before the start of the winter stoppage programme.  

If no further issues arise then the proposed opening times will be as follows:

1. Monday 27th October to Sunday 2nd November 10am to 3pm
2. Claydon Lock Flight 10am-3pm, last boat in at 2pm.

We hope that this window of opportunity to travel will support boaters and boating businesses but strongly advise that everyone continue to check these notices for any updates and plan their journeys to ensure they have enough time to navigate through the restricted areas of the network.

We will update this notice to confirm the proposed plans on 24th October or sooner if we have further information.

For more information on the water resource position please click here to read our position statement.

Current navigation closure between Claydon Top Lock 17 and Little Bourton Lock 27 is to be extend to Aynho Weir Lock 33

We have continued to monitor the exceptionally dry conditions, and the impact on our reservoirs. Unfortunately, despite all our operational efforts, as rainfall has remained well below the long-term average water levels in our feeder reservoirs are continuing to fall due to canal water demands. We can now confirm that, from 4pm .Wednesday 20th August 2025, the following locks will close to navigation until there is enough rainfall to replenish our reservoirs:

• Claydon Flight Locks 17-21
• Elkington's Lock 22
• Varneys Lock 23
• Broadmoor Lock 24
• Cropredy Lock 25
• Slatmill Lock 26
• Little Bourton Lock 27
• Hardwick Lock 28
• Banbury Lock 29
• Grants Lock 30
• Kings Sutton Lock 31
• Nell Bridge Lock 33
• Aynho Weir Lock 33 *

These closures are necessary to protect increasingly limited water resources and give the navigation an opportunity to recover, as well as helping preserve canal infrastructure and ecology. We hope that this confirmation allows time for boaters to adjust their plans and relocate as needed. If we can offer any windows at all for passage, then we will advise accordingly. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide fortnightly updates, or sooner if conditions change. Despite the measures we're taking, there may be extreme local circumstances that require us to take immediate action to temporarily close some other stretches on the South Oxford navigation. If it rains enough to allow safe navigation, restrictions will be lifted: this is likely to require sufficient and prolonged rain over several weeks rather than a sudden very heavy downpour. We understand that this continues to be disappointing news, and our priority is to reopen the canal to full navigation as soon as possible. We thank you for your support in reducing water use across our network, and reporting leaks or concerns via 0303 040 4040 or our Contact Us page.