Preston Brook Tunnel

Following a site visit carried out by our contractors ahead of the inspections commencing on 17 August, it has been identified that, for the safety of both contractors and towpath users, the towpath between the north and south portals of Preston Brook Tunnel will be restricted between 8:00pm and 6:00am each day from 17 August to the morning of 22 August 2026.

The overnight towpath restriction will be in place alongside the existing overnight navigation restriction and will reopen each day at 6:00am.

We thank customers for their patience while these essential inspections are completed.

Contractors will be on site to continue further inspections to Preston Brook Tunnel to carry out essential survey works to assess the condition of the structure and gather detailed technical information.

To enable the work to be carried out safely, the tunnel will be closed to navigation overnight between 8:00pm and 6:00am from 17 August to the morning of 22 August. Navigation will remain open as normal during daytime hours.

These works build on the initial investigations completed earlier this year, with the findings helping to inform this next stage of more detailed assessment.

We have worked to minimise disruption on the navigation  by scheduling the works overnight.