Update - Lock 41, Bank Newton Top Lock to Lock 2 Office Lock

Gargrave to Bank Newton — Now Open The navigation between Gargrave and Bank Newton (Lock 30 to Lock 41) is now open. The locks will operate daily between 10:00am and 4:00pm.   Bingley Five Rise & Three Rise — Now Open The Bingley Five Rise and Three Rise lock flights are now open, as of Monday 24 August. The flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at the following times: Morning  

• Down: 08:00–10:00 — last entry at 09:00
• Up: 10:00–12:00 — last entry at 11:00 Afternoon
• Down: 13:00–15:00 — last entry at 14:00
• Up: 15:00–17:00 — last entry at 16:00   Boaters are advised to plan their passage accordingly and ensure they arrive in sufficient time for the last entry.   Newlay, Forge & Kirkstall Locks The locks will be available for passage on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, operating to the normal summer operating times at between 08:00 and 16:00   Office Lock 2 will be opened on Thursday 27th Aug

We are pleased to confirm that several sections of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal are now open, with operating arrangements in place. Gargrave to Bank Newton — Now Open The navigation between Gargrave and Bank Newton (Lock 30 to Lock 41) is now open. The locks will operate daily between 10:00am and 4:00pm.  

Bingley Five Rise & Three Rise — Now Open The Bingley Five Rise and Three Rise lock flights are now open, as of Monday 24 August. The flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at the following times: Morning

• Down: 08:00–10:00 — last entry at 09:00
• Up: 10:00–12:00 — last entry at 11:00

Afternoon

• Down: 13:00–15:00 — last entry at 14:00
• Up: 15:00–17:00 — last entry at 16:00

Boaters are advised to plan their passage accordingly and ensure they arrive in sufficient time for the last entry.  

Newlay Lock 13 to Office Lock 2 — Remains Closed The navigation between Newlay Lock 13 and Office Lock 2 remains closed while the area is assessed. This section will be rechecked and evaluated on Tuesday 25 August to determine whether it is safe to reopen. Further updates will be provided once the assessment has been completed.

Bank Newton to Gargrave

The section from Bank Newton to Gargrave will reopen from 10:00am tomorrow, Saturday 22nd August. The following sections will remain closed from 2:00pm:

• Top Lock 41 to Lock 37
• Lock 30 to Lock 37
• Bingley Flights

Bingley Flights The Bingley Flights will reopen from Monday 24th August and will operate on the following days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Normal summer opening times will apply.  

Newlay, Forge & Kirkstall

The navigation at Newlay, Forge and Kirkstall will be rechecked and evaluated on Tuesday. We will provide a further update following this assessment. If reopened, the flights will operate on: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Normal summer operating times will apply.

During the 10 days in which key lock flights have been closed at Gargrave / Bank Newton, Bingley 5&3 Rise, Kirkstall / Forge / Newlay, we have seen canal levels continue to fall rather than recover as we hoped. The prolonged dry weather being experienced means that we are seeing little inflow of water to the canal to aid our recovery efforts. As such we are now implementing a closure from Office Lock at Leeds to Lock 41 at Bank Newton until such a time as we receive sufficient inflows of water to return the canal to a navigable level. River Lock at Leeds will remain open for passage to and from the River Aire, with the canal at Granary Wharf basin served by a back-pump from the river. We will also be providing a passage window through the Gargrave and Bank Newton locks from Lock 30 to Lock 41 on Thursday 20th August 2026 and Friday 21st August 2026 between 10am and 3pm. Passage will be available in both upstream and downstream directions to aid those wishing to exit the area or make their way to service provisions on the Skipton pound. Whilst there is no need to book this passage, as we will have roving lock keepers in the area to assist on both days, it would help us if you communicated your journey plans via our Boater's Calendar. We will provide further updates on water levels and the impact on navigation as necessary, with a next update no later than Friday 28th August 2026 at 4pm.