Getting

; afloat in the Midlands

A GUIDE TO USING WATERWAYS IN THE REGION leisure time than floating through the countryside, through interesting towns and villages, away from the hassle and noise of road traffic, with friendly places to stop around almost every bend? Gently cruising, boating or canoeing down a river or canal sounds idyllic. However, not all waters capable of carrying a boat or canoe can legally be used for navigation.

A GUIDE TO USING WATERWAYS IN THE REGION

You need to know where you can go and which individuals or organisations you need to contact first. Here are a few basic tips on where to get started.

The following section outlines the principles behind rights of navigation, and later in the booklet individual midlands' rivers are discussed.

Front cover: Shropshire Union Canal Below: Trent & Mersey Canal - Rights of navigation Access to waterways and navigation rights on rivers, streams, canals and lakes throughout and Wales are often very confusing. Indeed, the rights of navigation Tidal waters relating to a particular river Coastal and tidal waters may change several times including most estuaries over its length. To stay have a public right of within the law and avoid navigation. This means any conflict, you need to be person may navigate these aware of the legal situation waters without needing before attempting to use permission. This right dates any form of craft on back many centuries and individual waters. Although includes the right for craft some large rivers such as to pass and re-pass, and the Severn and Trent have temporarily anchor. reaches with public or However, for safety statutory rights of reasons, boaters should be navigation, many rivers aware that maritime laws and lakes have no such and local navigation rights or their existence directions and byelaws is disputed. might apply. Vessels must be suitable for the passage undertaken, be properly equipped with navigation and safety equipment and be controlled by a competent skipper and crew. The Severn estuary in particular is noted for its high tidal range, and can often be subject to rough water and exposed weather conditions.

Above: Purton Left: Torksey Lock Statutory rights were also established landing site or slipway. In of navigation through acts of parliament freshwater the riverside Some rivers have and are therefore statutory owner often holds the navigation rights navigations where a boat fishing rights and therefore established through acts of licence is needed. you will need their parliament, called statutes. permission to fish from a These statutes were often boat or the riverside, as created where in-stream well as a rod fishing structures such as weirs licence. and locks are needed to Private rights provide sufficient depth of of navigation water for navigation. The Under English law all land, acts empower navigation including the bed of a river authorities to construct and or lake, belongs to maintain such structures, someone - for instance a and control boat private individual, local movement on these busy authority, corporate body waterways. Navigation or the Crown. Where there authorities are allowed to are no public or statutory raise revenue by selling rights of navigation it is licences to any vessel usually the riverside wishing to use their landowners that control waterway. If you want to the right to navigate on go boating on any of these rivers or lakes that are on, waterways you need to buy or cross, their property and a boat licence in advance. therefore their permission Licence holders agree to Public rights is needed to use these as abide by byelaws that of navigation waterways. The riverside apply to these waters such Some rivers have a public owner usually holds the as speed limits and right of navigation but no fishing rights and therefore mooring restrictions. You navigation authority. These you will need their will also need permission rights have evolved for a permission to fish from a from riverside landowners number of reasons such as boat or the riverside, as to launch, land or moor long-standing historical well as a rod fishing any craft on adjacent land, use, or express dedication licence. Water sports are unless on a public landing by the riverside landowner. often available through site or slipway. Similarly, No licence is required to clubs based at lakes the riverside landowners boat on these waters situated in country or city often hold the fishing although you will need parks run by local rights of their stretch of permission from the authorities. river, and you will need riverside landowner to their permission to fish launch, land or moor any either from a boat or the craft on adjacent land bank, as well as a rod unless this is a public fishing licence. Most canals River Severn There is a statutory right of navigation on the Severn from the weirs at Gloucester to Gladder assumed to be a public details and other Brook near Stourport. right of navigation but no information. British Waterways is the navigation authority from navigation authority and River Idle and Ryton Shardlow to Burton-on- anyone wishing to navigate Trent. Associated British The Idle has a common law this part of the river should Ports administer the public right of navigation from its contact them for licence navigation on the tidal confluence with the River details and other reach below Gainsborough. Trent to and navigation information. continues along the River From Stourport to Pool Ryton to Blyth. The Idle Quay near Welshpool there There is a statutory right of also has a statutory right is assumed to be a public navigation from the from Bawtry to East right of navigation but no confluence with the River , although the navigation authority. Trent to Leicester. British statute relating to Gloucester Harbour Waterways is the improving navigation was Trustees administer the navigation authority and never acted upon. The river public navigation within anyone wishing to get entrance is blocked by a the tidal reach. From afloat on this part of the large tidal floodgate and a Gloucester Weirs to a point river should contact them pumping station gate and seaward of the Second for licence details and arrangements to enter Severn Crossing, other navigation from, and exit to, the River Gloucester Harbour information. From Trent must be made in Trustees is the navigation Aylestone, navigation advance with the authority, and anyone continues on the office wishing to navigate this Grand Union Canal in Gainsborough. part of the river should (British Waterways). contact them for byelaw Canals details and other River Avon An extensive network of navigation information. There is a statutory right of operational canals, that are navigation from the statutory navigations, is confluence with the River administered by British There is a statutory right of Severn at Tewkesbury to Waterways and they should navigation from Alveston near Stratford. be contacted for licence Gainsborough to Shardlow The navigation is details and other south of Nottingham. administered by two navigation information. British Waterways is the authorities - Tewkesbury to British Canoe Union navigation authority and Evesham by the Lower members are issued with a anyone wishing to get Avon Navigation Trust and licence to canoe on canals afloat on this part of the Evesham to Alveston by the as part of their river should contact them Upper Avon Navigation membership arrangements. for licence details and Trust - and they should be other information. There is contacted for licence WATERWAYS IN THE MIDLANDS REGION

All other rivers and lakes On all other freshwater rivers not mentioned specifically here, and all lakes in the region, there is either an assumed private right of navigation associated with riverside landowner property rights or in some cases the legal position may be unclear. Occasionally organisations like the British Canoe Union negotiate river access agreements with landowners on behalf of their members. These agreements often restrict access to members only and contain clauses prohibiting use of the river at certain times of the year and LOWER SEVERN under certain river flow AREA conditions. The Environment Agency, on behalf of the Angling and Canoeing Liaison Group, publishes a useful booklet on the subject entitled 'Agreeing access to water The Midlands Region of the Environment Agency for canoeists'. However, stretches from the Humber Estuary in the north, to some riverside owners may the Severn Estuary in the south and from the not wish to grant Welsh borders into the East Midlands. navigation rights to others for reasons of privacy or With over 7000km of river, almost 1000km of canal and an increasing number of stillwaters, the the protection of other rights such as fishing. region contains an extremely varied and nationally important environmental and leisure resource. Stratford-upon-Avon Rugby - Hillmorton

Useful contacts

British Waterways Gloucester IMPORTANT Willow Grange, Church Harbour Trustees The Environment Road, Watford, WD1 3QA Severnside House, Agency is not a tel. 01923 226422 The Docks, Sharpness, navigation authority in www.british-waterways.org Berkley, GL13 9UD the Midlands Region. tel. 01452 413009 This leaflet has been Low er Avon www.fewb.org.uk/ght/ produced to help those Navigation Trust wishing to navigate on Mill Wharf, Mill Lane, Wyre Associated British Ports waterways within the Piddle, Pershore, Worcs, Harbour Masters Office, region. However, it is WR10 2JF Port House, Corporation the responsibility of tel. 01386 552517 Road, Hull, HU5 5PQ those wishing to use a tel. 01482 27171 boat or other craft on Upper Avon www.abports.co.uk any waterway to be Navigation Trust assured of the legal Bridge 63, Harvington, British Canoe Union position and check with Evesham, Worcs, John Dudderidge House, the appropriate WR11 5NR Adbolton Lane, West authority or landowner. tel. 01386 870526 Bridgford, Nottingham tel. 0115 982 1100 Inland Waterways www.bcu.org.uk Association PO Box 114, Royal Yachting Rickmansworth, WD3 1ZY Association, tel. 01923 711114 RYA House, Romsey Road, www.iwa.waterways.org.uk Eastleigh, Hants, S05 4YA tel. 01703 627400 www.rya.org.uk -£7V" P^'cAWv'voij'

MIDLANDS REGION ADDRESSES

REGIONAL OFFICE LOWER SEVERN LOWER TRENT Environment Agency AREA OFFICE AREA OFFICE Sapphire East Environment Agency Environment Agency 550 Streetsbrook Road Riversmeet House Trentside Offices Solihull Newtown Industrial Estate Scarrington Road West Midlands B91 1QT Northway Lane West Bridgford Tel: 0121 711 2324 Tewkesbury GL20 8JG Nottingham NG2 5FA Fax: 0121 711 5824 Tel: 01684 850 951 Tel: 0115 945 5722 Fax: 01684 293 599 Fax: 0115 981 7743 UPPER SEVERN AREA OFFICE UPPER TRENT — Area Administrative Boundaries Environment Agency AREA OFFICE — Regional Boundary Hafren House Environment Agency Welshpool Road Sentinel House • Area Office Shelton Wellington Crescent Shrewsbury SY3 8BB Fradley Park a Regional Headquarters Tel: 01 743 272 828 Lichfield WS1 3 8RR Fax: 01 743 272 1 38 Tel: 01543 444 141 Fax: 01543 444 161

Nottingham

UPPER TRENT LOWER TRENT AREA AREA

Shrewsbury Lichfield

Solihull UPPER SEVERN AREA .

LOWER SEVERN www.environment-agency.gov.uk AREA /

Tewkesbury1

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY GENERAL ENQUIRY LINE 0845 933 3111 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY FLOODLINE 0845 9881188 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY EMERGENCY HOTLINE E n v i r o n m e n t 080080 70 60 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

085741 Mil 1/01-3K-C-BFWY printed Mil on Revive printed 1/01-3K-C-BFWY