THE Canal & River Trust have closed 16 miles of the Kennet & Avon Canal to navigation with no real explanation.

Boaters are bewildered by the closure of the waterway from Reading to Newbury, being informed by a notice other than it is testing its emergency system, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Closed from Reading to Newbury

The Kennet & Avon Canal is currently closed from County Lock in Reading all the way to Bull's Lock at Newbury.

The mystifying notice reads:

'Kennet & Avon Navigation Closed. This is a test of our emergency response system. The canal is closed to boat traffic between Bulls Lock (88) and County Lock (106) until further notice'. That really tells nothing.