Environment Agency Navigation and Waterways

Environment Agency plans to remove blight in time for new season.

“Sunk, wrecked, abandoned – they’ve got to go” says Deputy Director of Navigation.

53 boats already removed in ongoing crackdown.

The Environment Agency is on course to remove over 100 sunk and abandoned vessels from the non-tidal Thames in its biggest push in a decade on tidying up the watercourse. The work has been spearheaded by a newly created task force whose mission is to deal with some of the long-standing challenges that the Thames faces. This includes old and discarded boats as well as those that are unregistered or left at unauthorised moorings.

So far this year it has already removed 53 abandoned boats that were mostly left on riverbanks on the lower part of the river. This latest operation is to focus on the remaining sunk and abandoned boats across the non-tidal Thames.

Environment Agency Navigation Operations Deputy Director Bill Jephson said: “Irresponsible boat owners have caused a blight on the Thames for far too long. We know the impact these boats can have on river users and local residents. It’s time to start with a clean slate. Sunk, wrecked or abandoned, they’ve got to go.”

It is actually the owner’s responsibility to remove their sunken wrecks and where owners can be identified, the Environment Agency will look to recover costs.

Boats on the river need to be registered and comply with the Environment Agency’s requirements including insurance and a valid boat safety certificate. Owners are given ample opportunity to register. It’s easy to do and full information and fee details are online at www.gov.uk/register-a-boat

Jephson continued: “Our approach to non-registration offences on the Thames has also changed. Whist we continue to prosecute offenders through our escalation process; we have now begun to remove boats where the owner has previously been prosecuted and continues not to comply. We are currently recruiting more patrol officers to clamp down further. It’s time to put pride back into the river.”

The task force was established in July 2025 and it removed 35 boats from the Lower Thames over a few days of intensive action in September 2025 and a further 18 this January.

Proposals to introduce new safety standards for mandatory smoke alarms on boats with accommodation space(s) are open for public consultation until 30 April 2026. Share this with your boating friends, club members or surrounding berth holders/moorers.

Please take a few minutes to read about the navigation authority proposals and submit your views via the Boat Safety Scheme website or other routes we detail in the information on this link:

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/about-us/consultations-reviews/smoke-alarm-consultation-bs-ssf/

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) are awarding the IWA – Towpath Talk Sustainable Boating Awards again in 2026.

Nominations are invited from individuals, companies and non-profit organisations for the following two awards, sponsored jointly by IWA and Towpath Talk magazine.

1. For an individual (or group of individuals representing a charitable or community organisation) who, in the opinion of the judges, has made the most valuable contribution to sustainable boating on the inland waterways of the UK in the previous year.
2. For a commercial organisation which, in the opinion of the judges, has made the most valuable contribution to sustainable boating on the inland waterways of the UK in the previous year.

Written nominations, no more than 1000 words long, should be submitted by email to IWATTsustainable.awards@waterways.org.uk before 30 August 2026. Up to 6 photographs may be included. Entries will be judged by a combined IWA and Towpath Talk panel and results will be announced by 12 September 2026. The winners will be awarded at IWA’s AGM, due to be held in the Midlands on Saturday 19 September 2026.

Further information can be found on the IWA Sustainable Boating webpage: Sustainable boating - The Inland Waterways Association

The Environment Agency are pleased to promote these awards in support of our EA2030 strategy - change for a better environment. We have legislative duties to protect or enhance the environment and support sustainable development, with the following long-term goals:

• healthy air, land and water supporting nature’s recovery
• sustainable growth
• a nation resilient to climate change

Protecting the environment, driving innovation and growing the economy can, and must, work in harmony. Helping the government achieve sustainable economic growth, whilst safeguarding healthy ecosystems that benefit everyone, is at the core of what we do. We are pleased to promote an awards initiative that aligns with our goals and encourages sustainable development of the inland waterways sector.

‘Anglian Pass’ - Access to the River Cam and the Middle Level navigations

Boaters with a valid Anglian Waterways registration have the option to purchase an 'Anglian Pass', which will allow them to navigate unrestricted between the River Nene, River Great Ouse, Middle Levels and River Cam, without having to pay multiple fees to each navigation authority. If you wish to add the pass, follow the guidance on your renewal form.

The charges for 2026-2027 are:

Up to and including 5m = £33, over 5m and up to and including 10m = £66, over 10m and up to and including 15m = £99, over 15m = £132.

Due to the nature of the waterways, we advise you to check the relevant navigation authority’s website for any ongoing maintenance that may impact your journey and the full use of the Anglian Pass, before making a purchase.

River Advice for boaters (Strong Stream Advice)

We provide a free service called ‘River Advice for Boaters’ (RAB). This service informs river users when river levels and flows are increasing and decreasing, when conditions are becoming unsuitable for use and when locks may be discharging flood water. Notice boards display information about RAB at various locks sites and flags are raised at certain locations, such as boat clubs and marinas.

Visit www.visitanglianwaterways.org and complete the on-line form to receive, amend or cancel your RAB messages. Alternatively you can call our 24 hour River Advice Hotline on 0345 988 1188, choose option 1 and listen to the pre-recorded information followed by one of the following quick dial codes: 032112 (Nene), 033211 (Great Ouse - Bedford to St Ives), 033212 – (Great Ouse - St Ives to Earith) or 031212 (Ancholme).

Capital investment for the Anglian Waterways

February 2026

Each year, we carry out an extensive programme of work to our navigation assets and structures: replacing some where necessary, refurbishing or repairing others.

The majority of the funding for this work comes from Government.

This year, we are investing in a range of improvements to numerous locks to improve their reliability, and much more. Information showing what locks are closed during the winter for capital works can be found under the restrictions and closure notices at www.visitanglianwaterways.org.

Anglian Waterways restrictions and closures

You can view all navigation restrictions and closure notices using this link

Visit www.visitanglianwaterways.org.

You can request to receive updates on navigation restrictions and closure notices by emailing WaterwaysAnglian@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Progress at East Farleigh Sluice

The urgent repair work on Gate 2 has now been successfully completed, and the gate is back to full automatic operation. This means we can once again manage river levels effectively - supporting safe navigation and helping to reduce flood risk during periods of high flow. It’s an important milestone in keeping the sluice system working safely and reliably.

Gate 1 is still out of service for now, but a full programme of works is already planned for spring 2026. In the meantime, the restoration of Gate 2 gives us the confidence and capability to continue managing river levels safely.

Completion of Teston Lock

We completed our programme of improvement works at Teston Lock in summer 2025, marking a significant upgrade to one of the key structures on the River Medway. The project renewed the ageing lock gates and sluice equipment, improved the stability of the surrounding embankments, and enhanced public access for walkers, paddlers, and boaters. Our contractors, Volker Stevin, also carried out essential safety upgrades, including better operational controls and more reliable water‑level management. With the work finished, Teston Lock now offers a more resilient, safer, and more accessible riverside environment, supporting both navigation and the wider community that relies on this stretch of the Medway. These upgrades form part of a wider investment in the Upper Medway Navigation to ensure safe and sustainable boating for years to come.

Tackling anti‑social behaviour at Medway Lock Sites

Lock sites along the River Medway have seen an increase in anti‑social behaviour, including removing life rings, graffiti, jumping from sluice structures and speeding RIBs. These incidents put both people and river infrastructure at risk.

To address this, we are installing CCTV at all lock sites and increasing joint patrols with Kent Police and the Fisheries team. These measures aim to deter unsafe behaviour and help keep the Medway a safe, welcoming place for everyone.

Navigation Team praised for exceptional partnership working

The Medway Navigation Team recently stepped in to support Southern Water with an issue affecting vital water abstraction infrastructure at Yalding.

After a request from the Mid Kent Hydrology Team, the Navigation Team were asked to look into pumping difficulties at Southern Water’s inlet, which supplies water to the Bewl Bridge Reservoir. Acting quickly, team members attended the site over the weekend to dredge and assess the inlet. The results were immediate. By Sunday, Southern Water had doubled the volume of water they were able to abstract, and by Monday this had doubled again. This outcome highlights the strength of partnership working across teams and organisations. Southern Water were so impressed with the team’s professionalism and technical expertise that they have asked the Navigation Team to support with further maintenance work in the future.

Bringing the River Medway to the classroom

This year, we visited Barming Primary School, where we spoke with Year 6 pupils about the River Medway. We discussed how weirs, sluices and locks work, and why it’s so important to stay safe around the water. The children were really interested in the different signs and safety equipment we use on our sites, and they enjoyed learning how tools like what3words help the emergency services. We also talked about the many people who use the river, the hidden dangers to look out for, and what to do if someone gets into trouble. To round things off, we headed outside for a fun throw‑rope activity, with two teams racing to “rescue” their classmates from the pretend river.

We’ve also welcomed groups to Allington Lock throughout the year, including several visits from Allington Primary School and local scout and brownie groups. They joined us for geography sessions, site tours, demonstrations of the lock and sluice gates, and plenty of brilliant questions about the river, its history, and what it’s like to work here.

Each year, we carry out an extensive programme of work to our locks, weirs and other navigation structures: replacing some where necessary, refurbishing or repairing others.

The majority of the funding for this work comes from Government.

This winter, we are investing in a range of improvements to numerous locks to improve their reliability, upgrades to weirs, repairs to footbridges and much more.

You can view the full programme, including lock closures, using this link 'River Thames restrictions and closures'.

You can request to receive updates on this work by emailing riverthames@environment-agency.gov.uk with ‘subscribe’ in the subject line.

When it comes to water quality, we understand this is increasingly important to those who enjoy the waterways for their leisure and recreation.

Facilities

With large numbers of registered vessels on our waterways, all river users must act responsibly to ensure a safe and healthy river environment is maintained so all users can enjoy the waterway. This is why we advocate that sewage waste should never be disposed of directly into the water course. All boaters should use the designated pump-out and chemical cassette disposal facilities located upon our waterways, at either public facilities or within commercial boatyards and marinas. The Environment Agency provides some facilities along our waterways, and many marinas have their own provision. Any expansion of facilities or installation of new sites is currently beyond our available resources, and placement of new facilities would require careful planning if budgets allowed.

Communications and Awareness

UK waterways may have their own bylaws regarding “grey” water, such as that from sinks and washing machines, and “black” water (sewage). Boaters should check these before boating on any river as there is variation in legislation across areas of the UK and navigation authorities. In the absence of consistent legal requirements, we have worked with RYA and others on initiatives such as the Green Blue ‘Green Guide to Inland Boating’ and Love Where You Sail, to promote good environmental management and appropriate disposal of sewage waste. Education and awareness is central to encouraging responsible sewage disposal by boaters. We have regular contact with stakeholders such as local boating groups, user associations and marinas to reinforce this messaging. We can also raise awareness to registered customers through their annual renewals and other communications.

Enforcement and Legal Position

Discharging sewage waste could result in a pollution incident that affects fish populations and /or habitats, which could result in prosecution. Information on how to report a pollution can be found here: report water pollution in England - GOV.UK

The Thames Navigation Licensing & General Byelaws 1993 explicitly prohibit the discharge of sewage. However, not all waterways have the same byelaws. Byelaws are jurisdiction-specific and cannot be adopted for all waterways without going through a statutory process of drafting, consultation, and Secretary of State approval.

We are pleased to share our mid-year report for our Plan for 2025 which is available at this link ‘Our waterways - a plan for 2025 - mid year report’.

This report provides an update on our progress against the commitments we made in our plan. We have included both quantitative and qualitative information to highlight what we have done since April 2025, against each of the objectives and associated activities. We know we still have a long way to go to improve asset reliability and the service delivery on our waterways. We are working hard to make changes to ensure improvements can be made in the future.

We published our latest Waterways plan on the Environment Agency GOV.UK website. Use this link to read the latest version 'Our Waterways - a plan for 2025'. The plan focusses on making improvements to our waterways in 2025. The objectives are to:

• keep our staff and customers safe
• make improvements to the customer experience
• secure more income to move towards a financially sustainable service
• describe the future ambition for our waterways and how we will get there

How we will update on our progress

• We reported on our progress mid summer (completed - see news story) and again in the autumn.
• We will update all our boat registration customers in their registration renewals at the end of the year.
• We will also communicate our progress throughout the year through social media and other communication channels.

Please watch our video where our Area Directors, with responsibility for our waterways, speak about the plan and what our teams are doing to contribute towards it.

A look ahead

Due to the short-term nature of our Plan for 2025, work has already commenced internally and with our stakeholders on the longer-term strategy to establish the future ambition of our waterways, once we better understand our longer-term funding position. We will keep you up to date.