The Canal and River Trust (CTC) have announced an £89 million programme of engineering work, illustrating the scale of the resource required to protect and preserve the nation’s 250-year-old canal network.

In the current financial year, the Trust will complete more than 450 separate engineering projects across its network, including manufacturing and installing 123 lock gates. It will also carry out over 1,000 reactive repairs and will continue the vital programme of works to its canal-feeding reservoirs.

The CTC is planning to spend £89 million on this year’s programme of repairs and maintenance but the trust is warning that the cost of maintaining the network year on year is increasing due to its age, the effects of inflation and the additional expense of responding to more frequent and extreme weather events.

The announcement comes against a backdrop of the government announcing sweeping cuts to the future funding of canals. In July 2023 the Government announced a new funding settlement, spanning from 2027 to 2037, to follow on from the Trust’s current grant agreement. According to the Canal and River Trust, the amount awarded represents a steep reduction in funding of over £300 million in real terms over a ten-year period.

The Trust has expressed concern over the scale of funding available to ensure an adequate works programme in the years ahead, warning:

“Such a steep reduction will inevitably result in a decline in the overall condition of our waterway network, and, alarmingly, the possibility of canal closures. It puts at risk invaluable natural habitats, historic infrastructure and cherished public spaces.”

Central to the 2023/24 programme is the ongoing work needed to help ensure the resilience of the water needed to keep canals topped up, with continued investment to safeguard the water supply from its reservoirs – the oldest in the country.

£26.5 million of the programme is earmarked for 37 of the Trust’s 71 reservoirs, with works including spillway replacements, upgrading the capacity to ‘draw down’ water levels, improving access and reducing leaks. 19 reservoir projects will be on site during the year including ongoing activity at Toddbrook (Peak Forest & Macclesfield canals), Harthill (Chesterfield Canal), Barrowford (Leeds & Liverpool Canal), March Haigh (Huddersfield Narrow Canal) and Swellands (Huddersfield Narrow Canal).

A further 18 reservoir projects are being developed, with construction works planned for future years. In addition, repairs along canal beds, canal walls and at locks will help ensure millions of litres of water aren’t lost from the network’s ageing structures.

The CTC is also continuing to invest in further works to improve navigation, carrying out a £6.5 million dredging programme including 11 routine maintenance projects, three national programmes, spot dredging and dredging to canal feeders. £1.8 million is allocated to dredging at Gloucester and Sharpness docks to tackle high levels of silt.

In addition, £2 million is planned for stabilisation and leak sealing on four embankments, £2 million for improvements to five mechanical and electrical structures, £1.4 million for the refurbishment of seven bridges and £1 million to repair six culverts. Two programmes focus on reducing leaks in critical areas and two on the resilience of river sluices supporting water control on river navigations. External funding is supporting the continued restoration of the Montgomery Canal and a programme of works to the iconic Anderton Boat Lift following recent repairs.

Richard Parry, chief executive of the Trust commented:

“Whilst our campaign to Keep Canals Alive asks all those who use and enjoy the canals, to write to their local MP to secure their long-term future, in the immediate term the vital maintenance to keep canals safe must continue.

“Over the next year that programme of work ranges from the largest-scale repairs, such as at our reservoirs, to the more modest maintenance that makes such a big difference to boaters’ experiences, like fixing a leaking lock gate or our rolling dredging programme. Our expert teams of colleagues, contractors and volunteers will be working hard all year round to fight for the future of our waterways.”