Foxton Locks shut to boats due to low water levels

Foxton Locks is home to the longest staircase flight of locks in Britain, the Canal & River Trust says

The Foxton Locks have closed to boats due to low water levels.

In a notice on its website the Canal & River Trust confirmed locks at the site near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, closed on Tuesday.

It comes after a drought was officially declared in the East Midlands earlier in the month, following England's driest start to a year since 1976.

A spokesperson for the trust said Foxton Locks was still open to visitors with businesses at the site remaining open and a programme of summer events still going ahead.

The Grade II listed site is set in 34 acres (14 hectares) and attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year, according to the trust.

An aerial view of the locks which attracts thousands of visitors every year

A spokesperson said the decision to shut the locks had "not been taken lightly" and followed "continued monitoring of the exceptionally dry weather".

They added: "Our canal network is feeling the effects of one of the driest springs on record and several heatwaves already this summer.

"Our charity's teams and volunteers have been working round the clock to manage water levels but, with insufficient rainfall and reservoir holdings dwindling, we've had to temporarily close Foxton Locks to boats.

"This will help us maintain adequate levels of water to keep boats afloat, protect the wildlife that lives in the canal, and safeguard the canal infrastructure itself."

The locks were opened in August 1814

The closure is place from Watford Lock 1 to Kings Lock 38 with a review of the ongoing situation expected on 29 August, according to the trust.

Closing the locks will allow adequate water levels to be maintained to keep boats afloat, protect the wildlife in the canal and "safeguard the canal infrastructure", the charity said.

It could not be confirmed when exactly the locks would reopen but the charity said it would be "as soon as the water levels allow" and it needed "sustained rain" to top up the reservoirs.

"It's important to stress that Foxton Locks is still very much open for visitors looking for a day trip this summer," the spokesperson said.

"With two incredible feats of historic engineering, a canal museum, cafes, pubs and our programme of summer events about to get under way, we're very much looking forward to welcoming people over the summer."