Charity helps move boats along drought-affected Banbury canal

Charity assists boats along drought-affected canal Image caption, An army of volunteers is removing the chains and opening the locks along the canal By Jordan Brooks South of England , Reporting from Banbury Published 2 hours ago A waterways charity is helping transport boats after low water levels closed a canal. The project by the Canal and River Trust is to move six boats throughout October along the locks to Tooley's Boatyard in Banbury, Oxfordshire, with an army of volunteers removing the chains and opening locks. The 248-year-old boatyard has been on the brink of closure, with Matt Armitage, the boatyard's managing director, calling the situation "incredibly challenging". It is the second year of closures on the canal due to the lack of rainfall . The situation has impacted those who live and work near the canal, with people not able to get repairs carried out, or even empty their toilet facilities. The boats will be taken to the dry dock to undergo vital work. Armitage said: "The issue is now we're in a position where we are very short of money. "That's why it's so important to get these boats to us but I've never ever been this close to closing and I'm very concerned that we can make it through to Christmas. "It is that close. I've never been that close to closing before. "But with this movement of boats, it has definitely given us a chance... so, I'm a fighter... and with this help, I think we can scrape through." Image caption, Matt Armitage from Tooley's Boatyard called the situation "incredibly challenging" Hydrologist Mat Wells told the BBC that the reservoir north of Banbury, which feeds the canal, is in a dire state. "Boddington Reservoir is the largest of the three reservoirs which feed into the South Oxford summit," he explained. "It holds, when it's full up, around about 890ML of water, that's 890 million litres of water can be in that reservoir. "We've been using that reservoir much quicker this year than we ordinarily would have, which is why we put those restrictions in... there is 24% holding left in it." Volunteer Monica Notarmarco said it was "very, very sad" to police a leisure activity by chaining up the locks. "Most of them are understanding, I've never had any issues," she said. "They've always been very grateful that we've been there to help them through." As well as assisting the boats through the locks, the team is also carrying out work to prevent further water loss by fixing any holes or cracks. More stories from Oxfordshire Watch the latest episode of South Today Attribution iPlayer Listen to the latest news from Oxfordshire Attribution Sounds Armitage said more than 20 boats had cancelled because of the conditions. He added: "We've got two more years to go before we get to our 250th anniversary and we think it's so important that the boatyard continues here on the site and is a place for visitors and boaters to come and see what we do." In a statement the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "While it's for the Canal and Rivers Trust to maintain local waterways, we are supporting it with funding and remain in regular contact. "The trust encourages boaters to get in touch with its welfare and other support teams about specific circumstances and tries to help them wherever possible." Get in touch Your Voice Contact form Contact form Related topics UK canals Drought Banbury More on this story Closed canal temporarily reopens after dry summer Published 29 October 2025 Could Banbury become a 'cultural destination'? Published 6 September 2025 Related Links Tooley's Boatyard Canal & River Trust