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Welford Lock

Type: Navigation Closure

Waterway(s): Welford Arm (Leicester Line)

From: 16 November 2026, 9am

To: On-going

Region: East Midlands

Reason: Low Water Levels

Subject to review on: 21 November 2026

Location

Closest waterwayWelford Arm (Leicester Line)
Starts atLock 1, Welford Lock
Ends atLock 1, Welford Lock

Description

Original 10 November 2026, 9:58am

Due to ongoing water resource pressures, Welford Lock will be closed from 9am on Monday 16th November until 9am on Saturday 21st November. The lock gates will be ashed during this period to help conserve water.

The lock will reopen at 9am on Saturday 21st November, providing a final opportunity over the weekend for boaters to navigate either into Welford Wharf or off the Welford Arm.

Welford Lock will then close again at 4pm on Monday 23rd November and remain closed until further notice. The gates will again be ashed to minimise water loss.

The Leicester Line reservoir group has now reached its minimum operating levels and must be removed from supply to safeguard remaining water resources and maximise the opportunity for winter refill. Natural river inflows are currently insufficient to support operation of Welford Lock without continued reservoir support.

We will update this notice as the situation develops.

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