Guidance

[Withdrawn] Environment Agency waterways: Coronavirus (COVID-19) update 23 December 2020

Updated 16 August 2022

Applies to England

This document was withdrawn on 16 August 2022, because it is out of date.

For latest Coronavirus guidance please visit Environment Agency waterways: Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates.

From Saturday 19 December, Government introduced a new tier 4 alert level which covers London, much of the South East and some of the East of England. This means that higher levels of restrictions are now in place for these areas.

The latest government guidance on the tier system, including a postcode checker for the current tier of any location, can be found at Find coronavirus local restrictions.

1. What this means for our waterways

The tier system sets out what activity can be undertaken in each area.

For waterways in tier 1: Travel on waterways is permitted and overnight stays are permitted with your household, support bubble or up to six people.

For waterways in tier 2: Travel on waterways is permitted and overnight stays with your household or support bubble are permitted.

For waterways in tier 3: Travel on waterways is permitted. If you live outside a tier 3 area, you should avoid overnight stays in a tier 3 area unless necessary for work, education or similar reasons. You should avoid travelling into or out of a tier 3 or tier 4 area to visit your boat.

For waterways in tier 4: Essential travel only - travel on waterways and overnight stays are only permitted where the boat is your permanent residence or it is necessary for work, education or similar reasons. You should stay local where possible and not travel outside of a tier 4 area.

Travelling to maintain your boat is permitted in and between tiers 1 and 2; and within tier 3 only. You should not visit a tier 3 or 4 area from another tier or travel from a tier 3 or 4 area to another tier to visit your boat. Travel to maintain your boat is not permitted in tier 4.

If you are not able to travel to your boat to display your registration plate because of these restrictions, please don’t worry, just do this when Government restrictions allow.

Paddle sports, rowing and sailing are permitted for all tiers subject to social contact rules specified for each tier.

2. Our service at this time

We will continue to support this national effort through these challenging times and will, as always, make protecting the safety of our customers and staff our top priority.

Our staff will continue to work, managing and maintaining our waterways within the safe ways of working we have implemented this year. This may include some asset closures for maintenance. Our level of service in tier 4 may be affected by staff who are vulnerable and need to shield. This means some tasks may not be carried out, including assisted passage at some locks, however wherever possible we will maintain essential services and facilities for those boaters who live aboard or who have to make essential journeys.

At the short stay moorings we own or manage in tier 3 or 4 areas, we will continue to lift time restrictions to assist those who live aboard their boats so they can access essential services. However, time restrictions will resume in all other tiers.

Many parts of the waterways we manage now fall into either tier 3 or tier 4. So please check the full list of local restrictions to see how your area, or the area you would like to visit, is affected at Local restriction tiers: what you need to know. Please also be aware of the specific rules and restrictions for Christmas.

We will continue to update our guidance as the national situation develops so please do keep checking the guidance via this link for the latest information on tier restrictions. We remain committed to doing this and making the information available on this page.