Grass cutting

We update our towpath mowing plans each year, including seeking opportunities for enhancing biodiversity.

A grass-lined towpath runs into the distance parallel to a stretch of canal, which features moored narrowboats and a swan.

Our position on grass cutting

Our canals and towpaths are used by millions of people every week and are home to a rich tapestry of wildlife. They vary from fully surfaced urban routes through to simple tracks in rural landscapes.

Once the motorways of their day, today our charity tries to balance the needs of those who use our canals and towpaths and of the wildlife that now makes its homes along them. For example, it’s important that boaters and paddlers can get on and off the water safely, that towpaths are as accessible as possible, and that our engineers can check the canals’ condition.

The biodiversity along our canals varies in its ecological requirements and how it responds to different frequency of grass cutting. Where we know there are protected species, we have an appropriate mowing regime.

All these factors affect where and how often we cut the grass.

A grassy towpath lined by trees and wildflowers runs along a rural stretch of the canal with a narrowboat in the distance.

Our 2025 grass cutting regime

This year we’re carrying out five standard towpath cuts and, in the autumn, one full width cut ‘from edge to hedge’. The full width cut prevents trees and bushes taking hold and undermining the historic canal walls and brickwork.

In some spots we cut to the water’s edge throughout the year so that boaters can navigate safely, moor up, and get on and off their boats. We also keep the grass short on some embankments so that our engineers can inspect their condition and monitor for signs of movement.

We update our towpath mowing plans each year, including seeking opportunities for enhancing biodiversity. Your feedback will absolutely be part of that.

Grass cutting FAQs

Why do you need to cut the grass along the towpath?
We cut the grass along the towpath to make our network safe and accessible for all our users to enjoy. Long grass can hide uneven surfaces underfoot that can be dangerous for our users, including those alighting from boats (at locks, landings and moorings) and those walking and cycling along the towpath. We also need to keep grass short so we can undertake safety inspections of high risk structures, such as embankments, all year round.
Why do you cut the grass all the way up to the water’s edge, can’t you just cut a little bit on either side of the path?
We conduct a full width cut of the network once a year, in autumn, to prevent woody species from establishing on the towpath. Allowing these to grow would eventually block access to our canals, but they can also become established in the canal walls and damage brickwork and cause leaks.
We cut up to the water’s edge in some locations throughout the year so that our boating customers can safely moor up and get off their boats.
This year (2025) we are planning five standard cuts and one full width cut of towpaths, and nine cuts on locks, landings and moorings.
Our policy on towpaths is available here.
Why are you cutting more towpath grass this year compared to previous years?
We have committed to increasing vegetation maintenance, including grass cutting as part of our [Better Boating Plan](https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/better-boating](https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/better-boating).
Our boating customers provided us with feedback that increasing mowing of the towpath would improve their experience. This is the first year of our increased mowing regime and we will be gathering feedback from our customers.
How do you ensure that you don’t affect any protected species?
Our ecologists review the data that we hold for protected species and enhanced biodiversity areas every year, and communicate this to our vegetation contractors via maps and in the contract specification.
Our contractors are instructed not to cut these areas or to change the way that they mow according to what is in the area, for example not mowing areas we know are good for water voles, or where we know there are particular plants of interest.
Our contractors are carefully selected through our procurement process, and they have been engaged based on their experience and ability to do this kind of work. Our contactors are responsible for risk assessing the areas they are working in and managing the work according to the information we have provided them and what they find on site. We regularly supervise their performance and seek to address any issues proactively with them.
Why don’t you leave the grass to grow in May to promote biodiversity?
We have a very narrow strip of land that we are managing for a diverse range of users. We focus on the safety of our customers first whilst balancing the other demands and opportunities on our towpaths.
Our experience is that if we leave the grass to grow in May it causes additional safety issues later in the year and adds significant costs to our charity to address. However, a changing climate, better data and greater opportunities for enhancing biodiversity mean that we keep our towpath mowing schedule under review and update it each year.
Can I provide feedback about towpath mowing?
We try to balance the needs of all our users when it comes to cutting the grass, with a focus on their safety and overall experience.
If you would like to let us know your thoughts on the mowing in a particular area, please contact our customer services team who will be able to direct your query to an appropriate colleague in the Trust. To help us investigate and use this feedback to inform our future decisions, please include a location (e.g. a What 3 Words location) and as much information as possible.
What are your long-term plans for promoting biodiversity along the towpath?
We appreciate that strategic mowing can help maintain a better balance between accessibility and improving our network for wildlife. Improved research data will inform this, in the context of a changing climate.
This is the first year of ‘Our plan for better boating’. As part of this, we are looking to learn from others, gather more information and best practice and to incorporate this into future iterations of our towpath mowing as it is updated each year.
We welcome feedback, sightings and ideas to help this area in the future.

Vegetation FAQs

Read our vegetation FAQs and for more common questions around vegetation management

Last Edited: 12 August 2025

Grass cutting

Our position on grass cutting

Our 2025 grass cutting regime

Grass cutting FAQs

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