Britain’s canals and rivers face lack of funds amid climate pressures, campaigners warn

Regent’s canal in London, where litter is a daily challenge. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters

Britain’s network of canals and rivers is under strain from funding shortfalls and growing climate pressures, campaigners warn.

Three-quarters of the country’s waterways face financial peril, according to the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), an independent charity advocating for Britain’s canals and rivers, as the country braces for heavier winter rainfall and intensifying summer droughts.