Lancaster’s historic canal under threat of closure, boater warns

Liveaboard boater Oliver Sagar claims that the Canal & River Trust (CRT) is threatening complete canal closures in the future.

“The northern canals are being hit the greatest,” said Mr Sagar. “Already unplanned, emergency canal stoppages are increasing year on year as less and less CRT funding is finding its way to these lovely northern waterways.”

“The Lancaster Canal has an enthusiastic group of volunteers as well as CRT employees who do a lot to keep this an attractive canal for boaters to use but nevertheless there are increasing problems with weed and lack of dredging making navigation and mooring difficult as well as the locks on the Glasson branch suffering from closures last summer.”

Mr Sagar said that boaters were using canals less regularly because they were worried about becoming stuck in an unexpected closure so there was less money to fund maintenance which led to even more stoppages.

He added that many canalside businesses as well as boaters relied on the Ribble Link being maintained for more boats to reach the Lancaster Canal and keep it alive but it was a costly link to keep going.

“CRT are looking at a very few canals to try to keep open in the future when the money will no longer stretch,” Mr Sagar added.

“Sadly all the evidence points to the northern canals not being included in this but instead, as can already be seen, they will suffer from a gradual decline and this will include the lovely Lancaster Canal.”

Mr Sagar also criticised the CRT for ‘unreasonable licence rises and costs’ amounting to a 33 per cent increase in two years for boaters.

CRT’s regional director Jon Horsfall admitted that it is ‘a worrying time’ for the country’s canals.

He said: “These are amazing spaces but they are old and increasingly vulnerable: 250-year-old locks, bridges, embankments, aqueducts, reservoirs and hand-dug tunnels face the passage of time and suffer severe impacts from more frequent and intense winter storms and summer droughts brought about by climate change.”

However, more maintenance and repairs are being done than ever before and more than 700 miles of the network have Green Flag Award status which acknowledges well managed public spaces.

As the CRT is a charity, further funds are needed to pay for increasing maintenance costs which is why boat owners are being asked to pay more to help keep canals open and safe.

“Income from boaters is vital but makes up just 20 per cent of the rising costs of maintaining our waterways,” Mr Horsfall said.

“We welcome all boats and boaters onto our network and we aim to treat everyone fairly. Our charity has a boat licence support team and dedicated welfare officers to assist those in need.

“The trust is committed to maintaining our region's canals and all our other amazing waterways nationwide. So much has been achieved in the past decade and there are more users and supporters of our network than ever before.”