Top News
Another consultation on boat licensing
The Canal & River Trust is promising a final public consultation on boat licensing, from December 2026 through to February 2027.
This follows a report published earlier this year from the independent commission, appointed in 2025, to recommend a wholesale revision on licensing.
The consultation will address boat safety, social support for boaters, navigation requirements, fair sharing of waterway space, licence fees, and how CRT's network can be managed in the future.
The trust says it wants to clarify and modernise the whole system, which dates back to the British…
31 July 2026
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New barge and narrowboat moorings for Thames marina
One of the largest moorings on the River Thames, Penton Hook Marina near Staines-on-Thames, has become more welcoming to barges and narrowboats, with 18 new…
31 July 2026
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Government sounds out weddings aboard trip-boats
Weddings could soon be permitted aboard cruising boats, following the launch of a government consultation on the concept.
Until now all weddings in England and…
16 July 2026
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Obituary: Hugh McKnight
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15 July 2026
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Call for rethink on Exeter Ship Canal bridges
Supporters of the Exeter Ship Canal have criticised a proposal by Devon County Council to replace the familiar swing-/lift-bridge pair on the canal, without taking…
07 July 2026
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Gate deterioration cause closure of lock flights
Two key Canal & River Trust lock flights closed indefinitely in June after gate deteriorations caused concern.
On the BCN’s Walsall Town lock flight, a…
02 July 2026
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National Boat Count shows boat numbers down
Boat numbers on Canal & River Trust waters fell slightly last year by 2.1% to 34,742, according to the latest national boat count, released in…
02 July 2026
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HDPE hulls to get independent survey before leaving factory
FP Technologies – the pioneering plastics manufacturer creating the world's first HDPE narrowboat shells – has said that to guarantee quality control all its hulls…
30 June 2026
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CRT launches new accessible mooring bollards
A new type of canal mooring bollard has been installed on a pilot site on the Grand Union Canal at Wolverton.
Designed to make it…
30 June 2026
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Mural makeover for Cotswold Canals Trust bookshop
Two mural artists are to be asked to transform the outside walls of the Cotswold Canals Trust’s charity bookshop at Brimscombe.
The request comes from…
11 June 2026
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Intriguing find on Forth & Clyde Canal
A leak on the Forth & Clyde Canal's Kelvin Aqueduct has led to a discovery about its construction that has intrigued waterways engineers and could…
08 June 2026
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