Calls follow major silt issues last year
Dredging at Gloucester Docks(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
There are calls for a long term solution to the major disruption to navigation and waterfront businesses caused by silt at Gloucester Docks.
Around 50,000 cubic metres of silt entered the Docks during 2025 – around ten times the normal annual amount.
Silt ingress is mainly due to the water pumped from the River Severn into The Docks which is then pumped down the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to provide Bristol with half of its drinking water supply.
The severe silt ingress experienced during 2025 prompted a public briefing on the issue attended by dozens of people at Llanthony Secunda Priory on March 5.
The event brought together Canal and River Trust’s leadership, Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre, Gloucester City Council, business groups and waterway stakeholders to discuss the issue and hear about possible ways foward.
The panel heard how the problem has arisen over the years after the introduction of new environmental regulations and changes in dredging practices.
Canal and River Trust bosses also spoke of significant new dredging investment for a recovery dredging programme for Gloucester Docks.
And the trust confirmed that £2.8 million has already been spent on recovery dredging during the current financial year.
And a further £2 million has been allocated for dredging works during the next financial year.
The panel also heard how Gloucester will account for around one third of the trust’s national dredging budget during the recovery period.
Trust bosses acknowledged that future baseline dredging budgets for the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal will need to increase beyond historic levels.
Access to traditional shipbuilding and restoration specialists T. Nielsen and Company’s dry dock and local moorings will be included within the recovery dredging works, alongside the main navigation channel.
The trust also confirmed that operational discussions have begun with Bristol Water to examine how pumping and abstraction operations can be coordinated to reduce the amount of silt entering the docks.
Ben Cottam, Regional Director for Wales and the South West at Canal and River Trust, said the organisation had learned from the events of 2025.
“We recognise the challenges that last year presented and the impact it had locally.” he said.
Regional Director for Wales and the South West at Canal & River Trust Ben Cottam (centre) speaking at the event next to Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre (left) and organiser of the briefing Jay Clements.(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
“We are investing significant resources in the recovery dredging programme and are working with partners, including Bristol Water, to look at how operational changes can reduce silt entering the system in the future.”
Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre warned that relying solely on repeated dredging would not be sustainable.
“We can’t keep throwing money into a leaky bucket,” he said.
“We need to learn the lessons from what happened and make changes so that we’re not simply spending millions every year clearing the same problem.”
He also indicated his support for efforts to secure a better financial return from the canal’s long-standing water abstraction agreement supplying Bristol.
“The price we’re getting from Bristol Water isn’t acceptable. I will be throwing my support behind efforts to ensure we get a fair price so that we can properly maintain the docks and canal.”
City Council leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) also stressed the importance of maintaining the Docks as an active working waterway.
“We need to make sure that we have a navigable, commercial dock and canal so that boats can continue to come into Gloucester,” he said.
“We don’t want the Docks to become a place where the only things using the water are the seagulls.”
Jay Clements, managing director of English Holiday Cruises Ltd, who organised the event, said: “Gloucester Docks is approaching its 200th anniversary in 2027 and it remains one of the most important heritage and economic assets in the city.
“It was encouraging to hear confirmation of additional dredging investment and recognition that long-term budgets will need to increase.
Gloucester Docks(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
“The next step is ensuring that this work is delivered on a clear and transparent timeline so that businesses, boaters and investors can have confidence in the future of the docks.”
The trust indicated that future dredging plans are dependent on completion of the Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) required to permit the use of more efficient dredging techniques.
Stakeholders have asked the Trust to publish a clear timetable for the remaining recovery dredging works once the HRA process is complete.
With preparations already underway for the 200th anniversary of Gloucester Docks in 2027, local businesses, boaters and city stakeholders say restoring reliable navigation remains a priority for them.
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