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Water shortages in London

14th Jul 2006

Following the recent dry weather, British Waterways London is particularly concerned about water supply to the Grand Union mainline, Paddington Arm, Regent’s Canal and the River Stort.

The Grand Union, Paddington Arm and Regent’s Canal are fed by the River Colne, which is currently very low, as is the supply to the River Stort.

Jon Guest, operations manager for British Waterways London, explains: "We are closely monitoring the situation and taking action to conserve water where we can but if this period of low rainfall continues, unfortunately we cannot rule out the possibility of imposing navigation restrictions later in the summer. These restrictions could include closing locks at night and restricting lock movements.

"Please do help to conserve water by making sure lock gates are fully shut, paddles are closed and by sharing locks wherever possible – we would suggest waiting up to around 15 minutes at a lock for the next boat to come along. Please also pass the message on and encourage other boaters to conserve water and do tell us about any problems you spot."

Last updated: 22/10/2008