About British Waterways
More than two centuries ago, the entrepreneurs of the industrial revolution saw the potential of inland waterways for transporting goods cheaply and efficiently throughout Britain . They developed an inland waterway network linking mines and quarries with factories, mills, markets and deepwater ports.
British Waterways is the organisation responsible for maintaining this network today so that people can use it for a wide range of leisure activities.
We are a public corporation. We manage and care for more than 2,000 miles (3,220 km) of canals and rivers in England , Scotland and Wales on behalf of the British people.
We will blend best commercial practice with public sector values to earn and increase our income to conserve and enhance the waterways.
As well as being governed by the normal accounting, employment, environmental, planning and safety legislation that affects any modern organisation, we are specifically governed by many of the original canal enabling Acts as well as a number of modern Acts of Parliament.
Our sponsoring government departments are :
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in England and Wales
The Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department in Scotland
We also liaise closely with:
The Department for Economic Development and Transport in Wales
Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC)
IWAAC provides strategic policy advice to us and to government about the waterways generally. It has published several reports on topics such as restoration, social inclusion and planning.
