Corporate report

Our waterways - a plan for 2025 - mid year report

Updated 16 September 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Introduction

This report provides an update on our progress against the commitments we made in ‘Our waterways - a plan for 2025’. We have included both quantitative and qualitative information to highlight what we have done since April 2025. This is measured against each of the objectives and associated activities. We know we still have a long way to go to improve asset reliability and the service delivery on our waterways.

We:

• are working hard to make changes to ensure improvements can be made in the future
• have started to develop our longer-term outlook - ‘Our navigable waterways - the future from 2026’
• plan to consult with stakeholders and then publish this in 2026

Our objectives

The objectives in “Our waterways - a plan for 2025” are to:

• keep our staff and customers safe
• make improvements to the customer experience
• secure more income to move towards a financially sustainable service
• describe the future ambition for our waterways and how we will get there

Objective 1: keep our staff and customers safe

Our top objective is to keep our staff and customers safe whilst working on and using our waterways. This includes:

• site safety
• how activities are done
• the information we share
• regulation of the boats using our waterways

We promised to:

• report on the number of public safety risk assessments carried out, the number of actions identified as a result, and the number of actions completed
• complete the ways of working project and update the operational instructions that set out how our staff do specific tasks, if necessary
• share our analysis of any reported health and safety incidents

Our progress on these topics is shown in the next section.

Report on the number of public safety risk assessments carried out, the number of actions identified as a result, and the number of actions completed

We have legal obligations to assess, control and minimise public safety risks which might be created by our assets and activities. We carry out Public Safety Risk Assessments (PSRAs) on assets we own, operate, or maintain. Asset inspection frequency is determined by the underlying risk rating.

This means:

• high and medium underlying risk rated sites are inspected annually
• low underlying risk rated sites are inspected every three years - they can be inspected more frequently if other inspections are happening at the site and it makes sense to combine the visit

The PSRAs identify the control measures required to manage the risks at an asset, and regular inspections check that the control measures are still in place and functional. Where the inspection identifies actions that are required to ensure the control measures are sufficient, these are recorded as defects. These must be addressed before the defect can be closed.

These cover a range of topics including:

• structural hazards
• vegetation and environmental obstructions
• signage issues
• safety equipment deficiencies
• accessibility concerns
• control failures
• vandalism and wear
• maintenance and housekeeping

Between April 2025 and June 2025, we undertook 609 PSRA inspections relating to our navigation assets. These identified 122 defects. Our corporate aim is to address PSRA defects within 90 days. This means the 122 raised between April and June should be resolved by the end of September. So far 7 of these have been actioned and closed.

This quarter we have also actioned and closed 266 defects which were identified prior to April 2025.

Complete the ways of working project and update the operational instructions that set out how our staff do specific tasks, if necessary

We are committed to health, safety, and operational excellence. To support this we are currently reviewing and updating the risk control documentation associated with Lock and Weir Keeping (LWK) activities. This work follows the findings of a recent independent report, which highlighted several operational areas for improvement.

These included:

• training
• record keeping
• administrative controls

We have established a dedicated review group which meets monthly in person. The group includes representatives from:

• Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HSW)
• National Navigation
• team leaders from the Kent and South London, Thames, and Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and East Anglia areas
• Thames trade union

The group has developed a draft Generic Risk Assessment (GRA) for core LWK activities. This will be circulated internally this summer. We aim to finalise the GRA by the end of 2025. If any further operational safety work is identified beyond this review, we will scope and agree this in consultation with the internal steering group.

Share our analysis of any reported health and safety incidents

We use an internal system to log:

• near misses
• hazards
• HSW incidents
• positive behaviours

This helps keep our staff and our customers safe and well and manages our impact on the environment. We also use the system to record the active monitoring we do to proactively identify potential issues before they escalate.

We collect information relating to incidents involving our customers. This helps us identify if there are changes we need to make to our assets, guidance or advice. In the Environment Agency we have a positive no blame culture. This actively encourages reporting to ensure we can learn lessons quickly and prevent incidents where possible.

From April 2025 to June 2025 there were a total of 123 incidents reported on our system in relation to our customers, waterways teams and their work. Table 1 shows the types of incidents, the total number reported and the percentage of the total reported incidents this equates to.

Table 1 – type, number and percentage of reported incidents

Type of incident	Total incidents reported	Percentage of total reported incidents
Environmental incident and near miss	3	2%
Health, safety and wellbeing near miss	45	37%
Hostile or hazardous site	13	11%
Ill health	1	1%
Injury	20	16%
Positive behaviour - health, safety and wellbeing or environmental	5	4%
Property damage (including fleet)	4	3%
Unsafe condition or act	32	26%
Total	123	100%

The number of incidents reported between April 2025 to June 2025 was 20% less than during the same period the year before.

An important learning point from this analysis is the need for clearer categorisation of who is impacted by an incident. We should record whether it was a member of the public or staff member. This will:

• help with more efficient data analysis
• make sure that appropriate actions are implemented quickly
• make sure lessons are learnt for each incident.

The themes identified in reports from April 2024 to June 2024, and April 2025 to June 2025, were very similar. They related to:

• mechanical and operational failures
• boating incidents
• public behaviour and safety risks
• staff safety and wellbeing
• environmental and site hazards
• procedural and compliance issues

Some changes between 2024 and 2025 were:

• power winder-related injuries have increased significantly in 2025 – this is due to specific issues at Teddington Lock on the River Thames
• public hostility towards staff has increased in 2025
• red carding of operations as a proactive safety measure has increased in 2025

Themes from October 2024 to December 2024 and January 2025 to March 2025 differed slightly to the themes of April 2024 to June 2024 and April 2025 to June 2025. They included:

• water safety and rescue incidents
• hostile public behaviour
• infrastructure and equipment failures
• environmental and wildlife hazards
• staff welfare and lone working

There was an increase in maintenance-related near misses and incidents during the winter period. This aligns with the seasonal focus on asset maintenance during less busy boating months in autumn and winter. It means more staff were working on our assets during this time.

In relation to the incidents in April 2025 to June 2025 involving members of the public the main lessons learnt were:

• public safety around locks and weirs
• access by children and vulnerable users
• boater conduct and competency
• public injuries and medical emergencies
• emergency response and incident handling
• environmental and site hazards

These are described in more detail in the next section.

Public safety around locks and weirs

Lesson - poor awareness of the hazards associated with our assets increases the likelihood of incidents such as falls, slips and entrapment.

To reduce these risks we are:

• addressing public safety risk assessment actions quicker by prioritising this work
• improving signage
• installing physical barriers
• enhancing public education on safe lock use via YouTube videos advertised by hire companies
• doing a review of our risk management controls for our staff which will have positive impacts on our customers safety too

Access by children and vulnerable users

Lesson - children climbing on assets and unsupervised behaviour near water are recurring risks.

To reduce these risks we are:

• undertaking more public engagement
• implementing physical deterrents like anti-climb paint and planting to make accessing non-public or potentially unsafe areas of our assets more difficult – for example climbing onto the water-side of a fence installed to protect the public from falling from height into water
• working with local partners, including the police, on this behaviour

Boater conduct and competency

Lesson - many incidents involve inexperienced boaters, for example improper mooring, excessive speed, ignoring lock protocols.

To reduce these risks we are:

• strengthening boater education - we have released safety videos and will continue to reissue these
• showing a more visible enforcement presence where resources allow

Public injuries and medical emergencies

Lesson - several members of the public sustained injuries requiring first aid or ambulance attendance, for example falls, rope burns and dislocations.

To reduce these risks we are:

• making sure staff are trained in first aid
• maintaining accessible emergency equipment
• reviewing trip or fall hazards as part of our public safety risk assessments

Emergency response and incident handling

Lesson - public incidents often require rapid staff intervention, for example dog attacks, boats taking on water and people in distress.

To reduce these risks we are:

• maintaining clear emergency procedures
• reviewing our generic risk assessments for our lock and weir staff

Environmental and site hazards

Lesson - public exposure to hazards like sewage leaks, broken infrastructure, and debris has been reported.

To reduce these risks we are:

• committed to maintenance of public areas as part of our Public Safety Risk Assessments.
• responding quickly to environmental hazards as part of the Environment Agency’s category one responder status for environmental incidents
• communicating closures or risks through our navigation notices or through local communications, for example websites and social media, or both

In relation to the incidents in April 2025 to June 2025 involving our staff members, the main lessons learnt were:

• manual handling and ergonomic strain
• equipment-related injuries
• lone working and communication failures
• emergency response and first aid
• site conditions and housekeeping
• contractor oversight
• psychological safety and threats

Manual handling and ergonomic strain

Lesson - repeated use of some inappropriately designed equipment, for example power winders and T-bars, has led to musculoskeletal injuries including wrist, shoulder, hip, and back pain.

To reduce these risks we are:

• redesigning tools
• amending working practices to reduce strain

Equipment-related injuries

Lesson - staff have been injured by malfunctioning or unstable equipment, for example snapping bolts, swinging brackets or loose components.

To reduce these risks we are:

• aiming to increase regular maintenance
• using pre-use checks to reduce the risk of malfunction

Lone working and communication failures

Lesson - staff working alone without reliable communication, for example due to poor signal or faulty devices, are at increased risk.

To reduce these risks we are:

• making sure lone working protocols are followed and supported - as supported by the Environment Agency’s ‘PeopleSafe’ lone working system

Emergency response and first aid

Lesson - staff have had to respond to serious incidents without additional staff to support, for example attending injuries, public distress and aggressive behaviour.

To reduce these risks we are:

• providing regular first aid and hostile situations training
• making sure staff aren’t lone working in high-risk areas

Site conditions and housekeeping

Lesson - unsafe site conditions, for example broken steps, unsecured gates and tree hazards, have contributed to staff injuries and near misses.

To reduce these risks we are:

• conducting regular site inspections of our own assets and rectify defects as soon as possible
• encouraging staff to escalate unresolved hazards
• making sure we have temporary controls (for example signage, barriers) in place
• red carding (stopping) activities that have been identified as a risk to the safety of our staff, whilst the risks are assessed and resolved

Contractor oversight

Lesson - staff have had to challenge contractors or third parties not following safety protocols, for example, not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

To reduce these risks we are:

• increasing the frequency of webinars we hold with contractors on the topic of safety, health, environment and wellbeing (SHEW) to 6-weekly – this makes sure they understand the importance of adhering to our requirements
• sharing best practice and provide more up-to-date insights on lessons learned
• operating a yellow and red carding system when contractors significantly fail to meet our required standards for SHEW - these yellow and red cards affect future decisions to award work to suppliers

Psychological safety and threats

Lesson - staff have faced verbal abuse, threats and intimidation from members of the public.

To reduce these risks we are:

• making sure frontline staff go through the Environment Agency’s hostile situations training and there is robust incident reporting and follow-up
• providing support for staff facing aggression, including wellbeing support via our online help tools, wellbeing app and our 24 hours a day, seven days a week counselling service helpline
• providing mental health supporters internally for staff to talk to informally
• providing structured risk assessments to complete after a traumatic event to help identify whether the staff member is at risk of developing problems in future and connect them to the appropriate support if required

Active monitoring

Within our waterways teams during April 2025 to June 2025 we undertook 84 instances of active monitoring to identify potential issues before they escalate. The types of themes these covered were:

• checking safety equipment and PPE
• checking vehicle suitability before driving
• observing staff undertaking operational tasks to confirm compliance with health and safety processes
• checking lone working arrangements are being followed
• checking desk working arrangements for example trip hazards, desktop set up, lighting suitability
• conducting checks on whether staff training has been completed

Objective 2: make improvements to the customer experience

We want to make improvements to customer experience. This includes:

• navigating our waterways
• the visibility of our staff
• the availability of information

We promised to:

• report on the number of actions completed to address any asset defects
• share information on the percentage of locks receiving a pre-season operational check
• update on implementation of the new defect reporting procedure to improve efficiency
• feedback on the number of press releases and social media account posts, with an assessment of their reach
• update on the number of new digital products provided
• keep you informed via social media of our activities at important times and locations

The next section shows our progress on these actions.

Report on the number of actions completed to address any asset defects

We are making improvements for all assets across the business. Our Environment Agency asset management vision sets out for our customers how we are trying to improve the reliability of navigation assets. We are working to improve our preventative maintenance programmes to reduce the number of defects. This will mean our assets don’t affect the enjoyment of our waterways by our customers.

We completed £25.5m of capital investment between April 2024 and March 2025 to restore the condition of our assets or improve their operability. Over 40% of the investment last year was allocated to locks. A further 30% was assigned to multifunctional assets such as weirs and sluices.

This year, April 2025 to March 2026, includes £5 million of additional funding provided by Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM). This brings the total navigation capital allocation to £30 million. The allocation principles prioritise funding for projects which improve income generation and those which add resilience to our assets. Examples include increasing the capacity of our mooring sites and hydraulic upgrades to improve the reliability of lock operations. Over 45% of funding has been allocated towards locks and 35% on water control structures with multi-functional benefits.

We use a system called ‘Asset Information Management System: Operation and Maintenance’ (AIMS: OM) to store data about our assets. This is our main asset register. The system holds information about the defects that occur at our assets.

In the period between April 2025 and June 2025 we fixed 93 asset defects in total. These defects covered a range of categories including:

• electrical faults – for example power outages, tripping circuits, faulty RCDs and corroded connection
• mechanical issues – for example actuator failures, gearbox problems and gate misalignments
• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) issues - for example loose bolts, damaged locking mechanisms and insecure hatches
• hydraulic problems – for example leaks, slow sluice operations and sensor failures
• safety concerns – for example fire alarm faults, emergency stop issues and missing or vandalised life-saving equipment
• environmental and maintenance issues – for example vegetation overgrowth, littering and vandalism

We are using analysis of this defect data to inform our plans for a new standardised maintenance programme.

Share information on the percentage of locks receiving a pre-season operational check

To help make sure there was a successful start to the boating season, we completed pre-season operational checks on all 123 of our lock sites. These confirm their operability and report any major performance issues.

This approach provided a consistent and coordinated view across our waterways. It will form part of our operational process in the future.

These operational checks included making sure:

• signage is present and legible
• there was no build-up of debris on steps, landings, sluices and canoe portages
• gates can be opened and closed and paddles can be raised and lowered
• lifting ropes and bungees are in working condition
• float chamber covers are secure
• handrails, fencing and gates are secure
• booms are not split or damaged
• canoe and fish passes aren’t blocked
• weir adjustments are working
• pump-outs are working

Update on implementation of the new defect reporting procedure to improve efficiency

We’re strengthening how we track and manage asset defects across our sites by using our asset database (AIMS OM) more rigorously. We are also providing clear, consistent guidance to our teams. By closely monitoring how the system is used, we’re making sure defects are recorded accurately and consistently. This helps us make better-informed decisions.

This initiative is part of our transition to Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), which is a proactive approach that focuses on our most critical assets. By identifying and addressing potential issues early, we’re:

• improving reliability
• reducing downtime
• providing a better service to our customers

Feedback on the number of press releases and social media account posts, with an assessment of their reach

Our X (formerly twitter) accounts are:

• @EnvAgencySE for the River Thames, Medway Navigation and Rye Harbour
• @EnvAgencyAnglia and @EnvAgencyMids for Anglian waterways

We made 39 social media X account posts across the three regional accounts (Thames, East, South East) between April 2025 and June 2025. There are 60,663 followers of the three accounts and the total number of ‘impressions’ (times posts were viewed) was 25,484.

Our social media posts covered a range of issues including:

• enforcement and compliance activity
• river patrols
• maintenance of locks and other assets
• river clearance
• boat and water safety

Our Facebook accounts are:

• Environment Agency River Thames Waterways Team
• Visit Anglian Waterways EA

The Thames Facebook account received 257 new followers between April 2025 and June 2025. This compares with 122 for April 2024 to June 2024. In summary:

• we made 23 posts on the Thames waterways Facebook account
• the total reach was 170,545 people
• just over 11% of the total reach came from posts relating to ‘promoting the work our staff are doing’
• about 5% of the total reach came from posts relating to the ‘number of non-residential boats removed from problem areas’

By comparison in the same period April 2024 to June 2024 we made 20 Facebook posts with a reach of 105,184. This is a reach increase of 62%.

We made 143 social media posts on the Visit Anglian Waterways Facebook account from April 2025 to June 2025. You can read a summary of the items we posted in the section below called ‘Keep you informed via social media of our activities at important times and locations’.

Press and media enquiries

We responded to 27 media enquiries relating to navigation between April 2025 and June 2025. This included:

• media enquiries
• interviews
• statements

We sent out one proactive press release ourselves.

Update on the number of new digital products provided

We introduced two new digital forms on GOV.UK for boat registration customers. These allow customers to:

• renew a registration if paying by Direct Debit
• to notify us of a change of ownership

We are planning to trial the use of new a digital form for visitor mooring registration and the associated payment. We will display QR codes at some visitor moorings on the Thames with the view to roll this out more widely in the future if it is successful. This should increase our income as having an easier way to register and pay may deter non-payments.

Our Chief Executive, Philip Duffy, has directly committed to improve our Navigation Service. As a result, completing a new digital system to manage and administer boat registrations is now at the top of the priority list for our digital project team.

The first phase is a move away from the Navigation Licencing System (NLS) which we use internally, to a new platform to manage boat registrations. This is called the Regulatory Services Permissions (ReSP) Platform – Boat Registrations. In phase two we will develop the capability for customers to apply for and manage boat registrations online efficiently. We hope the customer facing elements will be available in the financial year 2026 to 2027.

We have also been using digital innovation to help our enforcement work and increase efficiency. These include apps that staff can use:

• to view lock and weir information to advise customers and members of the public
• for boat compliance checks which records information of non-compliant boats

Keep you informed via social media of our activities at important times and locations

We have been keeping you informed of the good work we are doing, this includes:

• registration enforcement checks
• sewage and rubbish disposal
• water safety initiatives
• speeding checks
• replacing channel signage
• training with other enforcement agencies
• opening of new assets, for example a new footbridge at Twyford Marina Bridge on the Medway Navigation and the Strand Quay Pontoon at Rye Harbour
• litter picks
• awards for our work, for example our Bronze Level Considerate Constructors Scheme Award for the Teston Sluice refurbishment

We also kept you updated on channel blockages, asset breakdowns and closures and when they were fixed via navigation notices. These are issued by our area teams on:

• GOV.UK
• the area team’s local website
• area Facebook pages
• directly by email

Anglian Navigation notices:

During April 2025 to June 2025, Anglian waterways issued a total of 82 navigation notices. These consisted of:

• 55 advisory notices
• 9 restrictions
• 18 closures

On average navigation notices were open for 10 days. The time taken to rescind (withdraw) notices ranged from 0 to 60 days. Navigation notices were issued to support safe and efficient navigation. These included:

• advisory notices
• closure notices
• restriction notices
• obstruction notices

The main reasons for the notices on Anglian waterways were:

• fallen trees
• mechanical failures
• low water levels
• LOLER inspections
• health and safety concerns
• reduced operating capacity
• planned electrical outages
• severe shoaling
• trees obstructing navigation
• underwater survey activity
• river events, such as rowing, kayaking, canoeing club and community events in and around the waterways

Medway Navigation and Rye Harbour notices:

From April 2025 to June 2025, we issued 9 Notices to Mariners in response to operational and infrastructure developments across the Medway Navigation. These events affected:

• waterway functionality
• user access
• maintenance priorities

The duration of time to resolve notices ranged from 0 to 7 days, averaging 3 days. Most issues were addressed promptly to reduce disruption to customers as much as possible.

The main reasons for the notices were:

• sunken boats
• mechanical failures
• repairs to improve safety
• shoaling
• pump out facility faults
• event notices

Thames navigation notices:

From April 2025 to June 2025, we issued 37 Harbour Master Notices for the Thames. Of these, 32 related to recreational events that temporarily restricted navigation. All were resolved within the quarter. In Thames, Harbour Master Notices are used for planned restrictions or closures due to public events or refurbishment works.

The remaining 5 notices concerned lock closures and scheduled maintenance. Resolution durations ranged from 0 to 31 days with an average resolution time of 11 days. Two maintenance notices remained active at the end of the quarter.

The main reasons for the notices on the Thames were:

• recreational events
• lock closures and maintenance

In addition to the above planned notices, 2 navigation issues were issued in response to unplanned events. These included a road vehicle in the navigation and a lock fault.

Objective 3: secure more income to move towards a more financially sustainable service

Money is critical to provide the best possible service. The navigation service is supported by:

• grant in aid funding from government
• charge income from boat registration, moorings and other services
• commercial income

We want to make sure we are maximising this income and moving towards the financial sustainability of the service.

We promised to:

• report on our compliance activity and outcomes and the number of boat registrations against 2024 figures
• report the number of commercial projects completed and any additional income these will raise
• share the approaches we will take to improve the financial sustainability of navigation

The next section shows our progress against these topics.

Report on our compliance activity and outcomes and the number of boat registrations against 2024 figures

Compliance activity

As part of the commitment to what you told us was important to you, we have brought in new processes and training. This makes sure more of our staff on the ground can complete compliance checks. We have also set up a taskforce to work on priority issues.

In Kent and South London (KSL) on the Medway Navigation the compliance rate is estimated to be around 79%. This will increase as the year progresses due to our compliance and enforcement activities. Between April 2025 to June 2025:

• the team completed 12 patrols and 52 compliance checks
• 55 boats were found to be unregistered
• 30 of these cases provided the required information within 14 days and therefore no further action was taken
• 22 cases are being progressed

We estimate because of this work £42,500 of revenue income was protected.

In Thames, 115 notices were served in April 2025 to June 2025. Eight of these are now compliant having registered their vessels. 29 case files were submitted to our legal team with a recommendation for prosecution and 8 investigations were still ongoing at the end of the quarter. We estimate because of this work around £60,000 of revenue income was protected. We estimate the compliance rate for April 2025 to June 2025 to be around 69%. However, as with all the waterways areas, this will increase as the year progresses due to our compliance and enforcement activities.

In Anglian the team issued 245 compliance notices between April 2025 and June 2025. We estimate because of this work £52,000 of revenue income was protected. The Anglian waterways estimated compliance rate for April 2025 to June 2025 is 70%. This should increase as the year progresses due to our compliance and enforcement activities.

Number of boat registrations

In 2024 we had a total of 18,021 boat registrations covering all categories of boat. The total so far for 2025 is 13,750. This figure will increase when the manual registrations from locks and agent issued registrations are added. It will also increase when the joint registration data is added to the figures at the end of the year. Joint registrations are issued to boats who wish to use CRT and EA waterways.

Tables 2 and 3 provide a breakdown of registrations:

Table 2 – number of registrations - all types

Area	2024 (full year)	2024 (to end June 2024)	2025 (to end June 2025)
Thames	11,657	9,645	8,809
Anglian	5,242	4,335	4,214
Medway	1,122	825	727
Total	18,021	14,805	13,750

Table 3 – number of registrations - private powered only

Area	2024 (full year)	2024 (to end June 2024)	2025 (to end June 2025)
Thames	7,065	6,451	6,360
Anglian	3,886	3,283	3,241
Medway	604	491	498
Total	11,555	10,225	10,099

Report the number of commercial projects completed and any additional income these will raise 

Over the last few years, we have allocated around 8% of our capital funding per year to progress projects that should increase our revenue income in the long term. These projects are summarised in the next section.

Completed projects

• We completed a refurbishment of the Jenyns Arms pub which we own at Denver complex in East Anglia. We have identified a tenant and will now secure income from this property.
• We completed a refurbishment of an old lock house at Allington Lock on the Medway Navigation which we will rent out to external tenants. This upgrade will secure additional income.
• We completed a leisure mooring market price assessment across all waterways. As a result, we implemented new mooring fees across the Thames in April 2024.
• In 2024 we completed a mooring extension on the east bank of the Denver complex in East Anglia.

Ongoing projects

• A strategic outline case has been approved for a Thames mooring extension programme. We have completed site appraisals and shortlisting. In 2025 we will be doing the detailed designs. Construction should take place in 2026 to 2027.
• We will be leasing a campsite at Allington Lock on the Medway Navigation.
• We have undertaken a review of rents of over 40 assets at Rye Harbour and will be developing a broader strategy for the site. We have increased our projected rental income by 30% in April 2025 to March 2026 compared to April 2024 to March 2025. This additional income helps to fund our operations at the harbour.
• We will be advertising leasing opportunities for our Thames campsites by the end of summer to early Autumn 2025, aiming to have tenants by Spring 2026.
• We are looking to increase occupancy rates across all our mooring sites.
• We are planning to formalise winter moorings along the Thames.
• We are doing a review of towpath, commercial and end-of-garden mooring charges on the Thames. This will identify all sites along the Thames where boats are moored over our riverbed (not moored on our assets) and implement charges.
• Our Estates team is currently doing a desk-based review of all waterway assets to assess the most commercially advantageous approach to their future management.

Future projects

• Thames accommodation licence review. Accommodation licences are required from the Environment Agency to keep an existing structure or install a new structure in, on or over the River Thames or cut into the bank. We charge for these licences.
• Strategic review of boater services, for example pump outs, water and electricity provision
• Review of Thames towpath for leasing opportunities
• Lydney Harbour – redevelopment of mooring basin

We estimate the combination of these projects will generate around £1.5 million a year of additional revenue income. This will support our service delivery and improve the overall service to our customers.

Share the approaches we will take to improve the financial sustainability of navigation

As our commercial programme continues, we are also starting an accelerated commercial initiative as part of our new strategy, ‘Our navigable waterways – the future from 2026’. This includes a review of our full estate, our services and our data to determine the optimal commercial activities to generate income, and how this can be realised.

This will include ensuring current activities are at market rates and we are capturing income more efficiently through compliance and improving digital payment options, for example at moorings. It will also explore and test the creation of new income streams. These could include:

• leasing sites or access for leisure or retail experience
• creating new chargeable services through app platforms and pay to use services

The additional income generated by this work will allow us to reinvest more funds into improving the condition of our assets and the service we provide. We will be reaching out to our waterways users to understand what services would benefit them.

Current legislative restrictions as an arm’s length body may challenge the implementation of some opportunities. However, we will be exploring the possibilities to influence change in this area. Exploring technology and partnership working will be integral to enhancing our commercial approach. We will integrate this work into the new strategy.

Objective 4: Describe the plan for navigation in future years

The Plan for 2025 is a short-term plan to respond to an immediate need. It also aligns with a 1-year settlement for our grant in aid funding for 2025 to 2026. We developed it with the main principles we will include within any long-term strategy:

• safety as a priority
• valuing our customers
• being financially sustainable

We promised to:

• publish a new plan before April 2026 with a longer-term outlook
• confirm the baseline data sets that we will use for future reporting and decision making

The next section shows our progress on these topics.

Publish a new plan before April 2026 with a longer-term outlook

To deliver this promise we have decided to develop a new publicly available strategy, with the working title ‘Our navigable waterways – the future from 2026’. Our staff, our national and area navigation stakeholder representatives have been asked for their initial views on its structure and content. We will review the feedback we receive and will incorporate this into the draft strategy. We will continue to work with our stakeholders when we finalise its development for launch in April 2026.

Confirm the baseline data sets that we will use for future reporting and decision making

We will confirm the data we will report on a regular basis in our new strategy when this is published in 2026. If, having read this document, you feel there is data you would like us to consider providing in future reports, you can let us know using our feedback form. 

How we will continue to progress the plan

We continue to prioritise improving the service we offer to our customers and the management of our assets, in line with ‘Our waterways - a plan for 2025’. We will report on our progress again at the end of the boating season.  

We want to hear your views

Please share your feedback on our mid-year report by completing this feedback form.

We will not respond to individual feedback, but we will read and consider the information you provide when drafting the new strategy and determining datasets to report on in future.