Charity Warns: 99% of Britain's Navigable Waterways at High Risk Amid Global Heating

According to a report published on 2025-11-01T12:24:24+00:00, the UK's network of canals and rivers is under severe strain from funding shortfalls and growing climate pressures. The Inland Waterways Association (IWA), an independent charity, has released a climate risk map showing that 99% of navigable waterways will face heightened risk under a predicted 2°C global heating scenario.

Areas of particular concern include the Pennines and the Midlands, where droughts are expected to worsen and higher-ground reservoirs feed several canal systems. Sections of the Leeds and Liverpool canal were closed for several months last year due to low water levels. The collapse of the Bridgewater canal embankment in January 2025 also highlighted the network's vulnerability, with nearly 1,000 people evacuated and stabilization costing around £400,000.

The IWA warns that three-quarters of the country's waterways face financial peril, with decades of erratic government support and more frequent extreme weather events leaving many vulnerable to breaches, closures, and mounting maintenance costs. The Canal & River Trust, which manages about 80% of Britain's navigable canals, says emergency repairs alone cost £10 million last winter after eight named storms.

The charity is calling for a government review to define sustainable, long-term funding to reinforce infrastructure, reduce flood risk, and support water transfer schemes to alleviate drought. Without intervention, the IWA warns that this vital, historic network faces irreversible decline by 2050.