The UK’s canal network is at risk of disappearing in the next 10 years unless urgent action is taken, the man in charge of the country's waterways has warned. Canal & River Trust’s chief executive Richard Parry has sounded the alarm over the perilous state of the UK’s canal network, saying it has fallen into disrepair following increased use over the past decade and now is at serious risk of disappearing. Without an urgent change of political course and immediate action, a network that stands as a beloved relic of the Industrial Revolution faces disappearing completely in ten years.
“If there isn't a change in the approach that the last Government took, we face this sort of insidious, inexorable decline over a period of years that will take the canal network to a very bad place and where all those benefits that it offers could be lost or certainly, dramatically reduced and...
Also then pose a risk to communities," Richard told the Mirror. Have you supported your local canal network with a community project? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com Dating back 250 years ago, the UK's canal network has found a second life post-industrialisation as a place where many people walk, boat, cycle and feed the ducks.
Over the past 12 years, the Canal & River Trust has seen use of the network grow and grow. In particular over the past five years, with more and more people finding outside areas in their local area due to the Covid lockdowns. With increased usage comes increased wear a.