Desborough Channel Bridge safety inspection 2025: river restriction notice
Published 5 September 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/desborough-channel-bridge-safety-inspection-2025-river-restriction-notice/desborough-channel-bridge-safety-inspection-2025-river-restriction-notice
When
Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 September 2025, 9am to 5pm.
Where
Sunbury reach, Desborough Channel.
Details
From Wednesday 10 September to Friday 12 September, between 9am and 5pm, the Desborough Channel will be closed to all navigation to enable bridge safety inspections to take place.
The navigation channel will be on the Middlesex, right side of the river, on the old river around Desborough Island.
All boats should be navigated in accordance with any instructions given from Environment Agency control points or patrol launches.
We apologise for any inconvenience that these works cause and thank you for your patience during this time.
All directions as to the left and right side of the river are given looking upstream.
Byelaws
Nothing contained in these directions shall supersede those parts of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993 and the UK Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collisions) Regulations 1996 as may be relevant. Particular attention should be paid to byelaws 24-42 of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993, Steering Sailing and Speed.
And Notice is hereby given, that it is provided by Byelaw 52 of the Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993 that:
The master of any vessel shall except in an emergency not pass any boat-race regatta public procession or gathering for the launch of a vessel or any other event or function which may cause a crowd to assemble on or by the river nor station his vessel thereon in such a manner as would risk obstructing impeding or interfering with such boat-race regatta procession launching event or function or endangering the safety of persons assembling on the river or preventing or interfering with the maintenance of order thereon.
The maximum penalty for breach of the Byelaws is £1,000.
Read our Thames Navigation Licensing and General Byelaws 1993.