'Veg Pledge' clears the waterways

THE 'Veg Pledge'' made by the previous Canal & River Trust chief executive, and alas not fulfilled, has been brought back into being, with many miles of offside vegetation cleared over the winter months.

We are told that over £1million has been spent clearing the vegetation from over 70 miles of various waterways, and that boaters should see the benefits as they cruise this Easter.

A further £500,000

A further £500,000 has been earmarked and ring fenced so the work can be completed in the autumn after the birds' breeding season.

It was after listening to boaters at the autumn local user group meetings, that the Trust decided that this was work that could make a real difference to the boating community. The national boating organisations were also asked to help find the areas that most concerned their members. The Trust was able to allocate the additional money because of management of costs and success in earning income over the year.

The waterways

Local waterway teams, working closely with the Trust's contracting partner, Fountains, transformed stretches of canals and rivers across the country, including:

Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation—over eight miles between Long Sandal and Rotherham to clear sight lines for the commercial traffic.

Kennet & Avon Canal—cutting back vegetation between Bath and Hilperton.

Grand Union Paddington Arm—almost two miles of work carried out between Paddington and Perivale.

Lancaster Canal—various lengths from the bottom to top, including at Preston, Galgate and Lancaster.

Shropshire Union Canal—work at Church Eaton, to address local complaints.

Most complaints

Vince Moran, Operations Director at Canal & River Trust, explained:

"Offside vegetation is one of the things we hear most about from boaters. It's an activity that has to take a lower priority than core structural work, but when we have the opportunity to tackle it we will. We were hoping to do more but, despite all the rain, it was an unseasonably warm winter which saw birds nesting early, meaning we legally had to call an early halt to the works.

"However, we've been able to make some big improvements this winter and I hope that boaters will be able to experience the difference themselves while they're cruising. We've also ring fenced the additional money we had planned to spend and will finish off the programme in the autumn."