Canal users hit by restrictions to save water

Holiday boater David Parkinson had to change his plans to make sure his boat returned to its marina in time

Boaters say they are having to plan very carefully to make sure they are not stranded as a result of canal restrictions imposed because of low water levels.

The Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal was closed to boats at 16:00 BST on Wednesday until further notice.

Locks on the canal's main line are already subject to restricted opening hours and the navigation will close completely on 26 August.

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has said it needs to close locks in order to save water and protect wildlife living in the canal.

One boater who lives on his narrowboat said the closures would have a big impact on his work.

Chris Barlow from Whilton Marina said the canal was like Noah's Ark on Tuesday with boats queuing two-by-two

Whilton Marina near Daventry in Northamptonshire has already seen the effects of limiting the operating hours of the locks.

Chris Barlow from the marina said: "Everybody was clambering to get in [the lock] on Tuesday.

"Thirty to 40 boats were queued up in twos - it was like Noah's ark - everybody getting ready for the lock to open."

David Parkinson, from the Isle of Wight, made his way through the Whilton locks on Wednesday morning.

He said he was going to travel towards Milton Keynes on a hired boat, but had decided to turn around back through Weedon, because of the restrictions and low water levels.

"We've got to make sure we turn round in time to get the boat back to the marina we hired the boat from."

Will Retallick lives on his boat and uses it to travel between work locations

Will Retallick lives on his boat and works full time from different locations.

He said: "When I look to move for work, sometimes I'll move counties, and [because of the restrictions] it can be turned from a two or three-day journey into suddenly you're looking at a few weeks or a month, which can have quite a big impact on my work."

Mr Retallick said it was not always easy to get information about the restrictions: "I tend to hear more from the boaters than I do online - if you check in the right places, you get the information but it is isn't particularly forthcoming."

Low water levels have forced the closure of the Northampton Arm

Sara Gravett from Northampton was so surprised by the low levels in the arm two weeks ago, that she took a picture.

"We've never seen it like this," she said.

"The poor old Arm gets a bit forgotten even though it's a vital connection to the Nene."

The CRT said the closures would be kept under review and would be lifted as soon as possible.