COVID-19 information – Avon Navigation Trust

COVID-19 (2021) Update Number 5

Friday 14^th May 2021

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation and confirmation of the next steps of the roadmap out of lockdown as we approach Step 3, now confirmed by the Government and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

Please follow the latest government advice and roadmap which you can access with the button above.

Step 3

Normal use of your boat continues but from the 17^th May you can mix with up to 6 people or two households on your boat.

User Operated Lock Sites

Please follow the Covid-19 secure guideline site safety notices that will be displayed at all our lock and mooring sites. These are there to remind boaters and the public of the required measures to control the spread of the virus.

Canoeing & Paddle Sports

ANT works in partnership with British Canoeing (BC) which is the national body for paddle sports, so to obtain guidance for this type of activity please go to the BC web site, there is a link button at the top of this page.

Operations, Maintenance & Navigation Status
The full navigation is passable. However, we still have a number of issues at various sites as well as the likelihood of debris, shallows and trees in the navigation so great care should be taken when navigating. We plan on addressing the list of works over the coming weeks.

ANT Main Office at Wyre

Following an operational review and the implementation of COVID-19 secure control measures at our offices I am pleased to inform you of the following.

As from Monday 17^th May we are closing our satellite offices and transferring our administration function back to the main office.
The main gates to the site will remain closed.
All visitors must make an appointment 24 hours in advance by ringing 01386 552517.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our website and licensing online where you can pay by card or contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Administration Office & Customer Service (Monday – Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm): 01386 552517
Licence enquires (7 days per week) : 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Licensing online go to: Licence Page.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and continued support through this tough period. Now we have been able to reopen the navigation we can at last look forward to once again enjoying our wonderful waterway.

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 (2021) Update Number 4 & Navigation Status Update

Friday 9^th April 2021

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation and confirmation of the next steps of the roadmap out of lockdown as we approach Step 2, now confirmed by the Government and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

I also wanted to give you an update of the status of the Navigation.

Please follow the latest government advice and roadmap which you can access with the button above.

Step 2

On Monday 12^th April one household will be allowed to stay overnight away from home. Therefore, normal boating can resume from this date but only for one household or bubble. The river will reopen as normal for normal use on this date. All visitor moorings will revert to a maximum of 48 hours stay.

User Operated Lock Sites

Step 3

No earlier than 17^th May (this date will be confirmed by government a week before this date) you can then mix with up to 6 people or two households on your boat.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible outdoor spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner.

As the navigation authority, it is not for us to say whether you can or cannot visit your boat at a private mooring site. Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and to ensure compliance with the law. Please contact your mooring operator directly.

ANT’s permanent mooring sites are open, and you will be allowed to stay on your boat overnight from Monday 12^th April.

Canoeing & Paddle Sports

Operations, Maintenance & Navigation Status
As key waterway infrastructure workers we are allowed to continue doing essential work on the navigation infrastructure as long as we follow strict COVID-19 controls and procedures.

I am pleased to report following a lot of hard work that Wyre, Pershore and Nafford Locks will be passable by Monday 12^th April. This means that the full navigation is passable. However, we still have a number of issues at various sites as well as the likelihood of debris, shallows and trees in the navigation so great care should be taken when navigating. We plan on addressing the list of works over the coming weeks.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our wharf and offices are closed to the public with our administration staff working from home.

Our administration continues to be run from our satellite offices (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with a credit or debit card or by PayPal. Alternatively contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 (2021) Update Number 3

Friday 25^th March 2021

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation and confirmation of the next steps of the roadmap out of lockdown as we approach Step 1 (part 2) and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

Please follow the latest government advice and roadmap which you can access with the button above.

Step 1 (part2).

On Monday 29^th March the stay-at-home order is planned to be lifted and the restriction for essential travel only also removed. However, you are still required to stay local to your home and you are not allowed to stay overnight away from home.

Therefore, if you live locally to your boat then you can visit your boat if your Marina/Mooring operator allows this and you can take your boat out for short day trips. At this stage Stratford and Evesham locks will be unlocked. Tewkesbury lock will continue to operate on a booked passage basis. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance Monday to Friday only. Click the button above or call 0300 111 2010 to book your passage. An engineer will then be sent to the site to open the lock Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:00. There are no weekend passages available.

User Operated Lock Sites

Step 2

No earlier than 12^th April (this date will be confirmed by government a week before this date) then one household will be allowed to stay overnight away from home. Therefore, normal boating can resume from this date but only for one household or bubble. The river will reopen as normal for normal use on this date. All visitor moorings will revert to a maximum of 48 hours stay.

Step 3

No earlier than 17^th May (this date will be confirmed by government a week before this date) you can then mix with up to 6 people or two households on your boat.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible outdoor spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner. These are not normally locations for outdoor exercise.

As the navigation authority, it is not for us to say whether you can or cannot drive and visit your boat at a private mooring site. Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and to ensure compliance with the law. Please contact your mooring operator directly.

ANT’s permanent mooring sites will reopen at Step 1 (part 2) on Monday 29^th March however you will not be allowed to stay on your boat overnight until Step 2 which will be the earliest 12^th April.

Canoeing & Paddle Sports

Operations & Maintenance
As key waterway infrastructure workers we are allowed to continue doing essential work on the navigation infrastructure as long as we follow strict COVID-19 controls and procedures.

We have now assessed all our sites. Currently Wyre, Pershore and Nafford Locks are impassable due to major issues. As well as these major concerns there is likely to be debris, shallows and trees in the navigation so great care should be taken when navigating.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our wharf and offices are closed to the public with our administration staff working from home.

Our administration continues to be run from our satellite offices (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below. We do not plan on reopening the main office until Step 4 when all restrictions are lifted the earliest date being 21^st June.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with a credit or debit card or by PayPal. Alternatively contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance, or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Thank you to everyone for your patience and continued support through this tough period. As the roadmap and vaccine is fully rolled out we can at last look forward to once again enjoying our wonderful waterway.

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 (2021) Update Number 2

Wednesday 3^rd March 2021

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the national roadmap out of lockdown last week and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

Until Step 1 (part 2) of the national roadmap, potentially from 29^th March boat movement continues to be restricted to essential boat movement for liveaboards only as defined in Update Number 1 below.

As per government guidance until 29^th March:

By law you must not leave your home or be outside except where you have a reasonable excuse.
You should work from home unless you cannot reasonably do so.
Travel should be restricted to essential travel only and you should stay close to home, locally within your area.
You cannot stay overnight at a holiday home, in a caravan or on a boat unless it is your primary residence.
You should only meet with one other person not from your household in a public outdoor space for exercise, once a day.

Please follow the latest government advice and roadmap which you can access with the button above.

Step 1 (part2).

On 29^th March the stay-at-home order is planned to be lifted and the restriction for essential travel only also removed. However, you are still required to stay local to your home and you are not allowed to stay overnight away from home.

User Operated Lock Sites

Step 2

No earlier than 12^th April (this date will be confirmed by government a week before this date) then one household will be allowed to stay overnight away from home. Therefore normal boating can resume from this date but only for one household or bubble. The river will reopen as normal for normal use on this date. All visitor moorings will revert back to a maximum of 48 hours stay.

Step 3

No earlier than 17^th May (this date will be confirmed by government a week before this date) you can then mix with up to 6 people or two households on your boat.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible outdoor spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner. These are not normally places for outdoor exercise.

As the navigation authority, it is not for us to say whether you can or cannot drive and visit your boat at a private mooring site. Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and to ensure compliance with the law. Please contact your mooring operator directly.

In line with the national roadmap ANT has decided that our permanent mooring sites will reopen at Step 1 (part 2) on 29^th March however you will not be allowed to stay on your boat overnight until Step 2 which will be the earliest 12^th April.

Canoeing & Paddle Sports

Therefore, our engineers will resume normal works as of 8^th March. From this date we will assess the state of the navigation and issue warning and restriction notices to inform of any major issues. We will then work to try and prepare the navigation for re-opening.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our wharf and offices are closed to the public with our administration staff working from home.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with a credit or debit card or by PayPal. Alternatively contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 (2021) Update Number 1

Wednesday 6^th January 2021

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation following the Prime Ministers announcement this week about the 2021 January lock down and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

As per government guidance through the lock down starting Wednesday 6^th January 2021:

By law you must not leave your home or be outside except where you have a reasonable excuse.
You should work from home unless you cannot reasonably do so.
Travel should be restricted to essential travel only and you should stay close to home, locally within your area.
You cannot stay overnight at a holiday home, in a caravan or on a boat unless it is your primary residence.
You should only meet with one other person not from your household in a public outdoor space for exercise, once a day.

Please follow the latest government advice and guidance which you can access with the button above.

Boat Movement

Boat movement should be restricted to essential travel only. Boaters who are not currently resident on their boat should not visit or move their boats. Those living aboard are advised to only travel for essential reasons. This is for three reasons:

To support the government in trying to stop the spread of the virus.
To help those who will need to travel for essential reasons and have access to services and moorings on the river.
To ensure that there are enough flood safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

Essential Boat Travel

For Liveaboard boaters only, essential travel is:

To access water or waste facilities.
To access essential food and supplies.
To access hospital, GP and other medical appointments or when you have had an accident or have concerns about your health.
For emergency mechanical service or repair of your boat.
For emergency vet treatment for your pet.
For caring responsibilities.

Boat Movement Management
To try and control boat movements in support of the government’s instructions, Tewkesbury, Evesham and Stratford Trinity locks are closed to normal traffic, however they can be booked for essential passages. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance Monday to Friday only. Call 0300 111 2010 to book your passage. An engineer will then be sent to the relevant site to open the lock Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:00. There are no weekend passages available.

Overnight Moorings
In support of this 24-hour and 48-hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings will be suspended until further notice and until government guidelines change. Similarly, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations will continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move, they need to moor up at flood safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our welcome leaflet link below.

Welcome Information Leaflet

Service Stations
Pershore pump out service station remains fully open. Unfortunately, it was not possible to open the Evesham station and therefore it is still inoperable until the 2021 season. As is normal in the winter our other service stations are closed to protect them against frost damage. Private marinas and boat yards will be making their own decisions on managing the situation so you will need to call them to see if they can provide their normal services.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

To help with information for boaters, in these times, we are working with our marina and mooring site partners to clearly communicate the COVID-19 control measures that each operator is implementing. We have on our website a page that lists the operators and the current measures they have in place. Before you set off to visit your boat please visit this page to see the latest information or contact your mooring operator directly. Marina Page

In line with the law and government restrictions ANT has decided that our permanent mooring sites will close until the law and government guidelines change. These sites will be locked down and no access possible. In emergency situations or where you have concerns over your boat please ring 0300 111 2010.

Canoeing & Paddle Sports

Operations & Maintenance
As key waterway infrastructure workers we are allowed to continue doing essential emergency work on the navigation infrastructure.

Therefore, our engineers will be based at their homes, on-call to respond to any essential emergency infrastructure works or incidents, following government COVID 19 secure guidelines.

Normally our engineers will work alone unless the emergency situation requires more than one person and then strict COVID 19 controls will be in place.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our wharf and offices are closed and completely locked down with both engineers and administration staff working from home.

Our administration function has been moved to our satellite offices (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with a credit or debit card or by PayPal. Alternatively contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In these difficult times we need to all pull together to ensure that we get through this winter and safely get to the time when a vaccine is fully rolled out and we once again can enjoy our wonderful waterway.

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 Update 10

Wednesday 2^nd December 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

Following the end of the second national lockdown and the introduction of a tiered system as of 2^nd December 2020 below is an update on the guidance for boaters on the Avon.

What you are allowed to do depends on both which tier you reside in and which tier your boat is in. We recommend that as regions are moved in and out of different tiers in the coming weeks and months that you check which tier you live in and which tier your boat is in and then follow the relevant guidance accordingly.

Whichever is the highest tier is the guidance you should follow. So, if you live in a tier three region and your boat is in a tier two or one region, you should follow the tier three rules. If you live in a tier one region but your boat is in a tier two region, then you should follow the tier two rules in respect to visiting your boat and using your boat.

At all times please follow the government guidance, shortcut available at the top of this page.

Tier One. Medium Alert.

Follow the guidance for wearing face coverings and social distancing.
Open public spaces are open.
You should work from home if you can.
You should not socialise with more than 6 people indoors or outdoors. (Rule of 6).
Visiting and staying on your boat overnight is allowed.
You may use your boat and travel on the river in the normal way.
If you live in a tier one region and travel to tier two area you should follow the rules that apply to the area while there.
If you live in a tier one region you should only travel to a tier three region for essential reasons and follow the tier three rules.

Tier Two. High Alert.

Follow the guidance for wearing face coverings and social distancing.
Open public spaces are open.
You should work from home if you can.
You should not socialise indoors with anyone who is not from your household.
You should not socialise with more than 6 people outdoors. (Rule of 6).
You should reduce the number of journeys you make were possible.
If you live in a tier two region and you travel to a tier one area you should follow tier two rules.
If you live in a tier two region you should only travel to a tier three region for essential reasons and follow the tier three rules.
Visiting and staying on your boat overnight is allowed.
You may use your boat and travel on the river in the normal way.

Tier Three. Very High Alert.

Follow the guidance for wearing face coverings and social distancing.
Open public spaces are open.
You should work from home if you can.
You should not socialise with anyone who is not from your household indoors or in most open spaces.
You should not socialise with more than 6 people outdoors in public places. (Rule of 6).
You should reduce the number of journeys you make to essential journeys were possible.
If you live in a tier three region and you travel for essential reasons to a tier one area you should follow tier three rules.
If you live in a tier three region you should only travel for essential reasons to a tier two region and follow the tier three rules.
Only essential visits to your boat is allowed.
You should not stay on your boat overnight.
Only boat movement for essential reasons is allowed.

Overnight Moorings
In support of the restrictions 24 hour and 48-hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings will be suspended until further notice and until Government guidelines change. Similarly, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations will continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move, they need to moor up at flood safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our welcome leaflet link below.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible open spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner. These are not normally places for outdoor exercise.

As the navigation authority, it is not for us to say whether you can or cannot drive and visit your boat at a private mooring site. Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and whether the business operator can enforce and ensure that social distancing rules are followed.

To help with information for boaters, in these times, we are working with our marina and mooring site partners to clearly communicate the COVID-19 control measures that each operator is implementing. We have on our website a page that lists the operators and the current measures they have in place. Before you set off to visit your boat please visit this page to see the latest information or contact your mooring operator directly. Marina Page

Boats who moor at an ANT owned mooring site, need to follow the relevant tiered guidance as detailed above.

Operations & Maintenance
As key waterway workers we are allowed to continue working on the navigation. The field teams will therefore continue their winter maintenance and contract works while strictly following the Government COVID 19 secure guidelines.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our administration function has been moved to our satellite offices (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Our office and wharf are closed and locked down.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with a credit or debit card or by PayPal. Alternatively contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In these difficult times we need to all pull together to ensure that we get through this winter and safely get to the time when a vaccine is rolled out and we once again can enjoy our wonderful waterway.
Best Regards and please keep safe.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 Update 9

Wednesday 4^th November 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation following the Prime Ministers announcement last weekend about the November lock down and how this will affect the River Avon and boating.

As per Government guidance through the lock down starting Thursday 5^th November:

You should work from home if you can.
Travel should be restricted to essential travel only and you should stay close to home.
You cannot stay overnight at a holiday home, in a caravan or on a boat unless it is your primary residence.
You should only meet with one other person not from your household in a public open space for exercise.

Boat Movement

Boat movement should be restricted to essential travel only and you cannot stay over on your boat. This is for three reasons. One to support the Government in trying to stop the spread of the virus. Two to help those who liveaboard and will need to travel and have access to services and moorings on the river and thirdly to ensure that there are enough flood safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

Overnight Moorings
In support of this 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings will be suspended until further notice and until Government guidelines change. Similarly, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations will continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move, they need to moor up at flood safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our welcome leaflet link below.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

To help with information for boaters, in these times, we are working with our marina and mooring site partners to clearly communicate the COVID-19 control measures that each operator is implementing. We have on our website a page that lists the operators and the current measures they have in place. Before you set off to visit your boat please visit this page to see the latest information or contact your mooring operator directly. Marina Page

In line with the government restrictions ANT has decided for boats who moor at an ANT owned mooring site that our sites will close and, we will limit access to essential visits only and require boaters to pre-book a visit. Anyone who wishes to visit their boat at one of our mooring sites should first contact our office on 0300 111 2010.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

Our administration function has been moved to our satellite offices (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Our office and wharf are closed and locked down.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with PayPal or contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In these difficult times we need to all pull together to ensure that we get through this second wave and are ready to once again enjoy our wonderful waterway in 2021.

Best Regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 Update 8

Monday 27^th July 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

Following an operational review and the implementation of COVID-19 secure control measures at our offices I am pleased to inform you of the following.

ANT Main Office at Wyre

As from Monday 3^rd of August we are closing our satellite office and transferring our administration function back to the main office.
The main gates to the site will remain closed.
All visitors must make an appointment 24 hours in advance by ringing 01386 552517.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our website and licensing online where you can pay by card or contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Administration Office & Customer Service: 01386 552517
Licencing enquiries, general enquiries or online licencing enquires (Monday – Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm): 01386 552517
Out of Office Licence enquires: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Licencing online go to: Licence Page.

Thank you for your patience and continued support. I am really glad that we can now go back to enjoying our idyllic river and go back to some form of normality.

Best Regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 Update 7

Friday 3^rd July 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

As previously communicated last week the river opens to normal leisure usage as of Saturday 4^th July 2020.

However to ensure a COVID-19 secure environment for our staff and volunteers the following controls will be in place.

User Operated Lock Sites

Avon Lock Tewkesbury.

Opening hours 9.30am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm, 7 days a week.
To request a locking during opening hours, on arrival ring the on-duty Lock Keeper on 07584 086321 or blow your horn.
Out of hours locking can be booked 24 hours in advance by ringing 0300 111 2010.
There will be no access to the site on foot and the site will be locked down.
Boaters must always stay with their boat.
Boaters must follow all the COVID-19 secure guidelines.
Licences can only be bought online or by phone, they cannot be purchased from the Lock Keeper.
There will be no merchandise sales from this facility for the rest of the year.

ANT Main Office at Wyre Piddle

For the time being these will remain closed to any visitors unless an appointment has been booked.
We will continue to run the administration function from our satellite office until at least the end of July 2020, when a review is planned.

Stratford Waterways Information Centre

Due to the fact it is impractical to introduce COVID-19 control measures at this facility, this centre will remain closed for the rest of 2020.

Latest Information for Boaters from DEFRA

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government’s priority has been, and remains, to save lives. Following the latest announcement by the Prime Minister on 23 June, which marked a significant further easing of the lockdown restrictions to come into effect on 4 July, the Government has decided to withdraw the guidance on ‘Using a boat inland and on the coast’ from 4 July.

Latest government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus. Individuals and boating operators are responsible for conducting a risk assessment drawing on the relevant sources of government guidance on COVID-19.

Operators and individuals should read the links available by clicking the button above.

How to buy a licence.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to licensing where you can pay with PayPal or contact us as detailed below.

How to Contact us.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general enquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.
Contact us

Thank you for your patience and continued support. I am very pleased that we can now go back to enjoying our idyllic river.

Best regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID19-Update 6

Friday 26^th June 2020

WE’RE GOOD TO GO Industry Standard (on the 4th July)

Dear Boater & Supporter

We are pleased to report that ANT has successfully been awarded the ‘We’re Good To Go’ COVID-19 industry standard. See the award certificate below.

This standard is awarded to organisations that have confirmed that they have followed government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, ensuring processes are in place to maintain cleanliness and aid social/physical distancing.

For all our boaters and supporters, this is a reassurance that the National Tourist Organisations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have confirmed that ANT has put in place all the required risk assessments and safe operating procedures to protect our staff, volunteers, boaters and supporters.

Please follow our COVID-19 site safety signage and instructions at all our sites which are there to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

Best Regards & Please Stay Safe

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

Covid-19 Update 5

Wednesday 24^th June 2020

Following the latest government announcement issued on 23^rd June 2020 we can advise changes to use of the river as below. Above is a link to the latest advice.

Boat Movement & Usage.

As of Saturday 4^th July 2020, all boaters in England will be able to stay overnight on their boats and use their boat in the normal way for leisure purposes. However, the government COVID-19 Secure Guidelines must always be followed.

This means that in line with CRT waterways the River Avon will open to normal traffic as of Saturday 4^th July 2020 without the need to book a passage. Also, Tewkesbury Lock will open for normal traffic. In the next few days we are undertaking COVID-19 risk assessments and developing control measures that we will need to introduce to ensure a COVID-19 secure environment for our staff at Tewkesbury Lock. Following this process and before 4^th July we will inform users of the opening times and special control measures that will need to introduce at Tewkesbury Lock.

Please take care when navigating. The river has been dormant with little boat movement for some months and has recently had an increase in levels following heavy rain. Visit the Notices Page for information of any restrictions or warnings in force and to sign up for email alerts. You may also sign up for FREE text notices by texting the word AVON to 78900.

If you notice any navigation issues or concerns of an urgent nature please call our Incident & Concern number 0300 999 2010

Visiting Your Boat

Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and whether the business operator can enforce and ensure that the COVID-19 secure guidelines can be followed. Please visit the Marina Page on our website to see the latest information about your mooring site or contact your mooring operator directly. Marina Page

Overnight Moorings
The 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings will now come back into force as of Saturday 4^th July 2020. However, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations will be suspended for the rest of the year. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our Welcome Leaflet.

Operations & Maintenance

We are undertaking COVID-19 risk assessments and developing control measures that we will need to introduce to ensure a COVID-19 secure environment for our staff at our offices at Wyre and the Stratford Waterways Information Centre. Once this work is complete we will advise of how these will operate from Saturday 4^th July 2020. Until then our administration function will continue to operate from our satellite office (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Therefore currently our office and wharf are closed and locked down together with Stratford Waterways Information Centre.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our website and licensing online where you can pay with PayPal or contact us as detailed below.

The navigation is fully operational and ready to be fully opened on Saturday 4^th July 2020.

We recommend that all boaters follow the government advice on the coronavirus by referring to the Government Advice

How to Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries, booking a passage or advising of a visit to an ANT mooring: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general inquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Best Regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 Update 4

Friday 12th June 2020

Update from the government through DEFRA received Thursday 11^th June 2020 giving government guidelines for inland waterways. The government have updated the GOV.uk website with full details please see link at the top of this page.

Dear Boater & Supporter

Yesterday DEFRA issued more guidance specifically for inland waterways. The main points are as below.

Private Leisure Boating:

No overnight stays on boats are allowed unless it is the owners primary residence
Day trips out on private boats allowed with same household or in accordance with the new ‘social bubble’
Follow the navigation authority guidance
Must meet licensing requirements

Marinas:

Boaters can visit marinas alone or with members of the same household
Boaters can meet with 5 others from different households while maintaining social distance and stay outside
Visitors must check with the marina to ensure the marina is ready to accept visitors

Canoe and Paddle Sports:

Facility managers can decide whether or not to hire out equipment
Operators should follow COVID-19 precautions and clean everything between each user
Follow government guidance for social distancing

Self-Drive day boat hire can open, operators should:

Apply social distancing measures
Clean contact surfaces between hirers
Set up and follow cleaning and waste removal routines after each hirer for all handrails, indoor surfaces, toilets and bathrooms

Skippered day hire:

Not allowed.

Holiday boat hire:

No overnight stays

Tourist trip boats:

Must remain closed

Hotel boats:

Must remain closed

Waterway repair and maintenance:

Allowed
Must follow COVID-19 risk assessments

This guidance as far as private boat usage is the same as the last guidance dated 13^th May. Therefore the operation of the river unfortunately will need to stay the same until further relaxation of the lockdown rules takes place.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible open spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner. These are not normally places for outdoor exercise. Most boats with cabins are effectively floating holiday homes, second homes or floating caravans.

Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and whether the business operator can enforce and ensure that social distancing rules are followed, and that people will not meet up with more than five other people other than their household.

Boat Movement Management
In line with CRT, including the River Severn, the latest government advice means that passages through locks is still restricted to limited travel only. This is for three reasons. One to support the government in trying to stop the spread of the virus. Two to help those who live-aboard and will need to travel and have access to services and moorings on the river and thirdly to ensure that there are enough flood-safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

To try to control boat passages through locks in support of the government’s instructions, Tewkesbury, Strensham, Pershore, Wyre, Evesham and Trinity locks are closed to normal traffic, however they can be booked for passages. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance by ringing 0300 111 2010. A team will then be sent to the relevant site to open the lock at an agreed time (Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 4.00pm).

Outdoor exercise doing paddle sports such as kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddle boarding is allowed. Also short trips in private motorised boats is also allowed. These activities can only be with your household or in accordance with the social bubble rules and you must return home at the end of the day.

Overnight Moorings
In support of live-aboard boaters, 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings continue to be suspended until further notice and until government guidelines change. Similarly, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move, they need to moor up at flood-safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our Welcome Leaflet.

Service Stations
Pershore pump out and tip out service station remains fully open. Unfortunately, the Evesham station is still inoperable until further notice. All other service sites are operational. Private marinas and boat yards continue to be making their own decisions on managing the situation so you will need to call them to see if they can provide their normal services.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

Operations & Maintenance

Even though the ANT team is significantly reduced with many of them stood down, we still have a skeleton team of field personnel out on the river doing essential flood recovery and public safety works while strictly following the government COVID-19 guidelines. Our administration function has been moved to our satellite office (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Our office and wharf are closed and locked down together with Stratford Waterways Information Centre.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our website and licensing online where you can pay with PayPal or contact us as detailed below.

The navigation is fully operational and ready to be fully opened when government guidance allow.

We will do everything we can to support our boaters by administering and maintaining the navigation so that we can all return to enjoy our lovely river once this crisis is passed.

We recommend that all boaters follow the government advice on the coronavirus by referring to the Government Advice

How to Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries, booking a passage or advising of a visit to an ANT mooring: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general inquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010
SMS Text Alert Service. Send the word AVON to 78900. To stop receiving text alerts send the word STOP to 78900.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In these difficult times we need to all pull together to ensure that we get through this and are ready to once again enjoy our wonderful waterway.

Best Regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 update 3

13th May 2020

Response to Government Statement of 11th May

Dear Boater & Supporter

The Trust would like to give you an update of the situation following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday 10^th May and the publication of the detailed phased plan of the Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy. Step one of the changes in government policy apply from Wednesday 13^th May. Also, I wanted to give you an update on the state of the navigation following the six months of flooding and the last two months of lock down.

As the government slowly changes the tone of the lock-down message and allows the public more flexibility then the interpretation of the advice becomes more challenging. This is made harder because the activities associated with the river cover numerous categories that are not necessarily spelt out in the government guidelines. We have consulted with all the main boating authorities to try and ensure we all give consistent advice and follow the law in support of the government’s strategy. We will continually monitor the changing advice and interpretation of the advice and we will issue updates as things change.

Step One of Government’s Adjustments to COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures

The key parts of the latest Government Guidelines that relate to the river are:

You may drive to publicly accessible open spaces irrespective of distance so long as you respect social distancing guidance and do not meet up with more than one person outside your household.
You may exercise outside or spend time outdoors as many times each day as you wish with members of your household or with no more than one person from outside your household socially distancing.
For exercise you may use outdoor sports facilities such as tennis courts, golf courses, kayaks, sailing, canoes or stand up paddle boards. Also short trips in private motorised boats is allowed. These can only be with your household or one person from outside your household socially distancing .
Following travelling to open spaces, exercising outdoors or spending time outdoors you must return back to your home at the end of the day.
Businesses that are required by law to stay closed include, indoor & outdoor leisure facilities, campsites and caravan parks.
You should not stay away at another home nor should you visit or stay at other homes which includes, holiday homes and second homes.

Visiting Your Boat
Most boats on the Avon are moored at private mooring sites and marinas. These are not publicly accessible open spaces but are privately run businesses and often form part of the home of the marina owner. These are not normally places for outdoor exercise. Most boats with cabins are effectively floating holiday homes, second homes or floating caravans.

As the navigation authority, it is not for us to say whether you can or cannot drive and visit your boat at a private mooring site. Private marinas and boat yards will have to make their own decisions based around the government guidelines and whether the business operator can enforce and ensure that social distancing rules are followed, and that people will not meet up with more than one other person other than their household.

To help with information for boaters, in these fast changing times, we are working with our marina and mooring site partners to clearly communicate the COVID-19 control measures that each operator is implementing. We have set up a page that lists the operators and the current measures they have in place. Before you set off to visit your boat please visit this page to see the latest information or contact your mooring operator directly. Marina Page

As boats are effectively floating caravans and holiday homes, we believe that the government restrictions still apply. We also believe that people will meet with more than one person not from their household, especially at weekends if there are no controls. Therefore, ANT has decided for boats who moor at an ANT owned mooring site, we will control access by requiring boaters to pre-book a visit. Anyone who wishes to visit their boat at one of our mooring sites should first contact our office on 0300 111 2010. Signage to this affect will be posted at each site.

Boat Movement Management
In line with CRT, including the River Severn, the latest government advice means that passages through locks is still restricted to essential travel only. This is for three reasons. One to support the government in trying to stop the spread of the virus. Two to help those who live-aboard and will need to travel and have access to services and moorings on the river and thirdly to ensure that there are enough flood-safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

To try to control boat passages through locks in support of the government’s instructions, Tewkesbury, Strensham, Pershore, Wyre, Evesham and Trinity locks are closed to normal traffic, however they can be booked for essential passages. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance by ringing 0300 111 2010. A team will then be sent to the relevant site to open the lock at an agreed time (Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 4.00pm).

Outdoor exercise doing paddle sports such as kayaking, canoeing or stand up paddle boarding is allowed. Also short trips in private motorised boats is also allowed. These activities can only be with your household or one person from outside your household socially distancing and you must return home at the end of the day.

Overnight Moorings
In support of live-aboard boaters, 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings continue to be suspended until further notice and until government guidelines change. Similarly, overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move, they need to moor up at flood-safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our Welcome Leaflet.

Service Stations
Pershore pump out and tip out service station remains fully open. Unfortunately, the Evesham station is still inoperable and is at our contractor’s workshop. The COVID-19 situation continues to cause the contractor major problems, the company is currently closed and therefore it is likely that this station will be closed for the foreseeable future. All other service sites are operational. Private marinas and boat yards continue to be making their own decisions on managing the situation so you will need to call them to see if they can provide their normal services.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

Operations & Maintenance
Even though the ANT team is significantly reduced with many of them stood down, we still have a skeleton team of field personnel out on the river doing essential flood recovery and public safety works while strictly following the government COVID-19 guidelines. Our administration function has been moved to our satellite office (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Our office and wharf are closed and locked down together with Stratford Waterways Information Centre.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our website and licensing online where you can pay with PayPal or contact us as detailed below.

Unfortunately following six months of flooding the navigation has been hit quite hard. Over the last two months the small field team has been working hard to try to recover the navigation to a safe condition.

Barton Lock top gate has been repaired and the lock dredged, the lock is now fully operational.
Evesham Lock has now been cleared of a significant amount of debris on the weir barrier and at the lock entrance and the lock is fully operational.
Nafford Lock is now clear and fully operational with over 200 tons of debris being removed from above the lock.
Eckington Bridge has now been cleared of debris.
The debris clearance and tree-shear barge has now travelled the navigation.
All moorings and lock sides have been cleared.
All locks and overnight moorings have been mowed and cleared several times.

We will do everything we can to support our boaters by administering and maintaining the navigation so that we can all return to enjoy our lovely river once this crisis is passed.

We recommend that all boaters follow the government advice on the coronavirus by visiting: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

How to Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries, booking an essential passage or advising of an essential visit to an ANT mooring: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010
For general inquires or online licensing enquiries: 0300 111 2010

NEW SMS TEXT SERVICE:
During the lock-down period we have been looking at ways to communicate better and quicker to ANT river users. We have now launched a FREE SMS Text Alert Service. To be included in the list, all you have to do is send a text message to 78900 with the word AVON. Do not include any other words in the text. When you no longer wish to receive the messages from us text STOP to 78900. We will be sending more information about this service in a separate email.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 update 2

23rd April 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

Following last week’s confirmation of another three weeks of lock down I wanted to give you an update of the situation and an update on the state of the navigation.

As per Government requirements, boat movement is restricted to essential travel only. This is for three reasons. One to support the Government in trying to stop the spread of the virus. Two to help those who liveaboard and will need to travel and have access to services and moorings on the river and thirdly to ensure that there are enough flood safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

Overnight Moorings
In support of this 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limits on all our public moorings continue to be suspended until further notice and until Government guidelines change. Similarly overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations continue to be suspended. When boats do have to move they need to moor up at flood safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our welcome leaflet link below.

Welcome Information Leaflet

Service Stations
As communicated before both Pershore and Evesham pump outs were wiped out in the floods. I am pleased to report that our engineers have managed to refurbish the Pershore pump out and tip out and this service station is now fully open. Unfortunately the Evesham station is still inoperable and is at our contractors workshop. The COVID-19 situation is causing the contractor major problems who is currently closed and therefore it is likely that this station will be closed for the foreseeable future. All other service sites are operational. Private marinas and boat yards continue to be making their own decisions on managing the situation so you will need to call them to see if they can provide their normal services. Pump out tokens are only available to purchase online. Click here to order Pump out Tokens

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

Boat Movement Management
To try and control boat movements in support of the Government’s instructions, Tewkesbury, Pershore, Wyre, Evesham and Trinity locks are closed to normal traffic, however they can be booked for essential passages. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance Monday to Friday only. Call 0300 111 2010 to book your passage. A team will then be sent to the relevant site to operate the lock Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:00. There are no weekend passages available.

Operations & Maintenance
Even though the ANT team is reduced with over half of them stood down, we still have two teams of field personnel out on the river doing essential flood recovery and public safety works while strictly following the Government COVID 19 guidelines. Our administration function has been moved to our satellite office (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Our office and wharf are closed and locked down together with Stratford Waterways Information Centre.

If you need to licence your boat, please do so by going to our licensing page and licence your boat online. Payment can now be made with PayPal or contact us as detailed below. (PayPal account not necessary)

Unfortunately following six months of flooding the navigation has been hit quite hard. Over the last month the small field teams have been working hard to try and recover the navigation to a safe condition.

Barton Lock top gate has been repaired. Three Black Country solutions were developed that has meant we did not need to lift the gate out. However the lock is still impassable due to silt in the lock. We hope to clear this in the next few weeks once the clearance barge gets to site.

Evesham Lock is closed due to a significant amount of debris on the weir barrier and at the lock entrance, we hope to clear this in the next week.

Nafford Lock is now clear. This involved 200 tons of debris removed from above the lock.
Eckington Bridge has now been cleared of debris.
The debris clearance and tree shear barge has now travelled from Tewkesbury to Chadbury Lock clearing the navigation.
Above Chadbury there are numerous trees down on the navigation partially blocking the channel.
All moorings and lock sides have been cleared.
All locks and overnight moorings have been mowed and cleared at least twice.

The tree shear and clearance barge is working its way from Chadbury to Stratford and it is hoped that we will clear to Stratford in the next few weeks.

We will do everything we can to support our boaters by administering and maintaining the navigation so that we can all return to enjoy our lovely river once this crisis has passed.

We recommend that all boaters follow the Government advice about coronavirus by visiting: The Government Website

How to Contact us
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service and booking an essential passage: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Queries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

In these difficult times we need to all pull together to ensure that we get through this and are ready to once again enjoy our wonderful waterway.

Best Regards and please keep safe.

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

COVID-19 update

24th March 2020

Dear Boater & Supporter

I wanted to give you an update of the situation following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night. Also I wanted to give you an update on the state of the navigation following six month of flooding.

Following from the Prime Minister’s announcement we are asking leisure boats to restrict non-essential travel. This is for three reasons. One to support the Government in trying to stop the spread of the virus. Two to help those who live-aboard and will need to travel and have access to services and moorings on the river and thirdly to ensure that there are enough flood safe moorings available for those who need to travel for essential reasons or who are on their boats self-isolating.

In support of this we have therefore suspended the 24 hour and 48 hour mooring duration limit on all our public moorings until further notice and until government guidelines change. We have also suspended any overnight mooring charges that would normally have been in place at various locations. Also it is important that when boats do have to move that they moor up at flood safe moorings. This information is on our website and all services and moorings identified in our welcome leaflet

Unfortunately both Pershore and Evesham pump outs were wiped out in the floods and the machines are away at the supplier being rebuilt. We are trying to get these reinstalled as soon as possible but obviously the COVID-19 situation is causing the contractor major problems who has now closed for at least two weeks. All other service sites are operational. Private marinas and boat yards will be taking their own decisions on managing the situation so you will need to call them to see if they can provide their normal services.

We request that everyone be considerate and make sure a minimal amount of essential movement is maintained to keep vital facilities available to those who need them.

To try and control boat movements in support of the Government’s instructions, Tewkesbury lock is closed to normal traffic, however it can opened for booked essential passages. The Lock Keeper is self-isolating on site in a secure compound. Boats should book a passage 24 hours in advance by ringing 0300 999 2010. A team will then be sent to site to operate the lock at an agreed time.

Even though the ANT team is reduced due the need to for some of them to self-isolate, we still have two teams of field personnel out on the river doing essential flood recover and public safety works while strictly following the Government COVID-19 guidelines. Our administration function has been moved to our satellite office (used in flooding) and the Trust continues to be administered in the normal way. Contact details are as below.

Unfortunately following six months of flooding the navigation has been hit quite hard. The river only went down just over a week ago so we still have a lot to do with a much reduced team. Below are the current issues.

Barton Lock top gate has failed and the lock is closed.
Evesham Lock is closed due to a significant amount of debris on the weir barrier and at the lock entrance.
Nafford Lock is closed due to significant debris above the top gates.
Eckington Bridge has debris on it partly into the Navigation arch.
There are numerous trees down on the navigation partially blocking the channel.
Most moorings and lock sides have mud and debris on them.

The tree shear and clearance barge is working its way down river from Pershore and it is hoped that we will clear from Pershore to Tewkesbury by the end of this week. An update will be issued later this week.

We will do everything we can to support our boaters by administering and maintaining the navigation so that we can all return to enjoy our lovely river once this crisis is passed.

We recommend that all boaters follow the Government advice on the coronavirus by visiting the GOV.UK website by clicking the button below.

Please do not hesitate to contact us on our numbers below if you need any advice, guidance or support.

Satellite Administration Office & Customer Service: 0300 111 2010
Licensing Enquiries: 0300 111 2010
Navigation concerns or incidents including an update of the navigation condition: 0300 999 2010

Clive Matthews

Chief Executive

Covid-19 Update 5

COVID-19 Update 4

COVID-19 update 3

COVID-19 update 2

COVID-19 update

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