Lock 41 To Lock 71

Due to the continuation of dry weather and persistently low water levels, navigation is closed between Lock 41 and Lock 71 on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

We will continue to monitor the situation daily, and as soon as the water levels have recovered sufficiently to allow for safe navigation, the closure will be lifted.

While water holdings across the canal network are higher than they were at this point last year, hot and dry weather can create extra challenges for boating and water supply.

To make the most of the water we have in the reservoirs, we're trying to tailor the feed very accurately to the demand so water doesn't go to waste. If the demand is greater than we predicted or paddles get left up, then we may need short breaks to rebalance the supply, sometimes at short notice. We apologise for the disruption and thank you for your patience during these periods.

In addition, our team has identified a leak at Lock 69 and are currently developing a suitable method of repair. 

If you see that water levels are looking unusually low, please let us know. Our teams actively manage water levels and can carefully refill low pounds, checking for problems and making sure moored boats on adjacent pounds stay safe.

A further update will be on or before Tuesday, 11 August.

Navigation remains closed between Lock 60 and Lock 70 on the Trent & Mersey Canal due to the pounds being drained, resulting in low water levels.

The team are working hard to replenish the pounds however, this may take a few days for water levels to recover.

In addition, our team has identified a leak at Lock 69 and are currently developing a suitable method of repair. 

A further update will be provided on or before Wednesday 29 July.

Unfortunately with the leakage problems through Lock 69, apart from letting boats through that where stuck in the pounds, we have had to keep this closure in place on Lock 67 & 68 to help retain water as much as possible. We are currently looking at plans to make urgent repairs to lock 69 which will be assessed during the week, along with how we will maintain some sort of passage until these interim repairs can be completed.

Navigation is closed between Lock 67 and Lock 68 on the Trent & Mersey Canal due to the paddles being left open, resulting in low water levels. Our local team are aware of the situation and are currently on site, feeding water down to the affected area to restore water levels. Unfortunately levels have not restored sufficiently and we must keep the closure in place, we hope that it will recover during Saturday so we can open Sunday morning 26/07/2026. a team member should be there for 9.00am to review situation and open if levels have recovered sufficiently.