From the Region Chair

The winter floods have certainly been challenging for flood defence agencies and navigation authorities. Eastern England received 150-200% of normal rainfall, (including snowfall equivalent) in both November 2020 and January 2021. The effects are evident in pictures from Birstall on the Soar Navigation near Leicester (page 14) and at Taylor’s Lock on the Slea Navigation near South Kyme (above and on page 8).

Fortunately, no breaches or over topping have occurred in our region as far as we are aware at this stage in early spring. However, on the river navigations in particular we should anticipate the “hidden hazard” of silt deposits, moved downstream by the fast-flowing water, to appear in certain spots. One such example which CRT are struggling to sort is on the downstream side of Ratcliffe lock on the Soar, where the navigation rejoins the main river channel. As the system re-opens to increasing boat traffic, and river levels return to summer levels, we can expect further silt shoals to appear. The River Trent will again be highly likely to need spot dredging on the downstream “tails” of some of the locks.

IWA “Waterways Watch”

Waterways Watch is an IWA initiative to collate and report silting sites and grounding incidences across the system. IWA will then be able to take these examples forward as a tool to lobby navigation authorities about problems on the waterways. This will also enable IWA to lobby government for bet-

ter funding. The reporting form is available on-line at: https://www.waterways.org.uk/ campaigns/waterwayswatch

Waterways Watch is also a tool to collate other waterways access and user issues including vegetation affecting navigation, and towpath condition. The full news item is here: https://www.waterways.org.uk/ about-us/news/new-reportingtool-for-issues-affecting-the-waterways.

Red Diesel

As I write The Treasury have announced that common sense has prevailed, and that the present status of allowing taxrebated “red diesel” to be used for propulsion in inland waterway craft can continue beyond 2022. The requirement to have separate white and red diesel tanks has been withdrawn.

As now, boaters will be required to self-declare the percentage of red diesel used for propulsion, and the vendor will add the tax to this part of the sale. IWA, among others, campaigned, and lobbied intensely at political level for this, and our thanks to IWA Navigation Committee for pursuing this to the successful outcome.

Nottinghamshire and Derby-

shire Branch is still without sufficient branch officers to function as a fully quorate branch. In the autumn we will make further initiatives to form a committee. In the interim Graham Jeffrey has continued to act as chairman.

Please send any ideas or observations for the work of IWA in the branch area to either Graham or myself, (our contact details are on page 2). There is, however, a wellsupported, IWA led, “hands on” action group: Visitor Moorings River Trent and Associated Waterways, which is successfully creating new and improved visitor moorings in Nottinghamshire. (see separate report by Robert Aspey, IWA branch moorings officer, on page 21 ).

IWA website and “IWA TV”

The revamped IWA website is gradually being re-populated with branch and regional information. Please check that your local waterway information is correct, as some errors have crept in as the old pages have been migrated across from the previous web platform.

The new interactive waterways map is a quick and easy way to check what new users and the public will experience if they click on any of our waterways.

A brilliant part of the new web presence, ”IWA TV” is a record of recent, and notice of future, IWA on-line presentations, (Webinars), given to branches, and also nationally organized workshops and presentations. The way forward methinks! https://www.waterways.org.uk/ iwa-tv

Our pictures of Taylor’s Lock were taken on 30 January and show the Slea making a level through the lock, the guillotine raised by EA , and with the downstream pointing doors tied open.