Canals have been left running dry across England and Wales as Britain continues to bake in what could become its hottest summer ever.
More than 30 sections of the 2,000-mile canal network have closed to prevent boaters travelling through low water levels – with officials warning that more could be forced to shut as soaring temperatures continue throughout August.
It comes after the Met Office warned 2026 could surpass the long, hot summer of 1976 – the UK’s hottest on record based on highest average daily maximum temperature.
The forecaster issued a rare 15-hour amber ‘extreme heat’ warning for southern and central England from 9am tomorrow – only its second such alert in four years.
The whole of England has also been put under an amber heat health alert until Friday night by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which warned of a ‘rise in deaths’.
The lack of rain – resulting in the driest July since records began in 1836 – combined with water evaporating in the hot weather has forced the Canal and River Trust to introduce strict restrictions.
The charity, which runs the canal network, has urged boaters to cancel any non-essential journeys and share locks – water-filled chambers used to raise and lower boats between stretches of water at different heights.
In a bid to save water, it has also suspended rules that stopped boaters mooring in the same place for more than two weeks.
The Grantham Canal (pictured) at Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, has dried up in the heat
Other scorched areas of the canal network include the Montgomery Canal at Llanymynech (pictured)
A Canal and River Trust spokesperson said: ‘To help support the canals for as long as possible, we’re actively managing our water holdings, which means in some places we’re having to temporarily close stretches of canal to navigation, or introduce reduced opening hours.
‘We know this can be hugely frustrating for both boaters and canal businesses, and we thank them for their understanding during these challenging times.’
Dried-up areas of the canal network include the Montgomery Canal at Llanymynech, and the Grantham Canal at Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire.
Meanwhile, the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire has a partially exposed canal bed due to low water levels, making it impassable.
It follows weeks of hosepipe bans across Britain due to near-constant heatwaves in recent months, with residents banned from watering their gardens, filling up paddling pools and washing their cars.
The summer of 1976 is the hottest on record when judging the weather by the highest average daily maximum temperature. However, if the rest of August stays as warm as it has been in recent weeks, 2026 will become the hottest summer.
Southern Water warned more than 100,000 people in Hampshire will be hit by shortages unless a ban on filling public swimming pools and other non-essential water uses is put in place.
Andy Burnham’s new Environment Secretary, Angela Eagle, has a month to approve or reject the proposal.
The Prime Minister is set to chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting this afternoon in response to the extreme heat – as Britain braces for one of its hottest days on record tomorrow.
Mr Burnham will meet with ministers, officials and agencies as the sixth heatwave of the year builds with 33C forecast today and up to 38C tomorrow.
He said he is ‘certainly going to consider’ a ban on disposable barbecues as the extreme heat continues.
Meanwhile, rail operators have warned against non-essential travel, with several having already cancelled services as passengers were told to brace for major disruption.
People took to social media to discuss the dried-up Grantham Canal at Cotgrave
Another local took a photo of the dried Grantham Canal to show how little water was left
Workmen take advantage of low water levels to carry out works on Grantham Canal
A worker from Hollow Ponds Row Boat Hire stands in the exposed, cracked and dried mud bed of Hollow Pond, where the water levels have significantly dropped, in east London
East Midlands Railway and Chiltern Railways told customers to ‘only travel if essential’ tomorrow – while reduced services were confirmed by c2c, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Northern, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway.
The whole of England has been put under an amber heat health alert until Friday night, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warning of increased risk of death.
A 38C high tomorrow would make it Britain’s joint fifth hottest day on record – tying with that same temperature in Norfolk on June 26, which is the current 2026 high.
It comes as a firefighter union chief warned Britain faces a ‘national emergency’ amid ongoing wildfires, with the country on course for its hottest summer on record.
Some 45 million people across England are now in drought-stricken areas, and 27 million customers are under hosepipe bans as rivers and reservoirs run low.
Parts of southern England including Hampshire and West Sussex have now gone 60 days without rainfall, and there are no downpours in the immediate forecast.
Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Home Office and Department for Health will attend today’s Cobra meeting.
The Environment Agency will also be present at the discussions – the second Cobra meeting this year on heatwaves after another during similar weather in June.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the Government understood firefighters, farmers and NHS staff were all facing challenges connected to the weather.
