THE GRAND UNION CANAL is suffering from extreme water shortages.
Getting very near to the same condition as all the northern canals. With Keith Gudgin telling of the present closures:
Four stoppages as known
* Braunston Lock 1 to Lock 6.
* Buckley Lock 7 to Lock 13.
* Watford Flight Lock 1 to Kings Lock 38 in Leicester. (Leicester Section).
* Stoke Bruerne Locks 14 to Lock 20.
This latter being the latest to be closed to navigation.
Start of the summer holidays
This means that the hire companies on the Grand Union Canal, as is the case for many more on the system, are at this start of the summer holidays having to inform clients of the many stoppages that will stop them having the freedom to cruise as they wanted.
With Canal & River Trust stating at each stoppage:
'Following continued monitoring of the exceptionally dry weather and its impact on water resources, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close...'