Locks closure 'hampers life' for stranded boaters

A boater whose vessel is trapped between two closed river locks says the situation has "hampered day-to-day living".

Ally Clarke is among a group of boatowners closed in on a 5km (3.2mile) stretch of the River Cam after the locks - at Baits Bite at Milton and Jesus Lock in Cambridge - were closed last June.

Conservators of the River Cam, who manage the waterway, say they cannot afford the cost of repairing both locks but said a temporary fix could reopen Baits Bite in the next few months.

Ms Clarke said she feared boaters would be "stranded" for longer meaning repair work to stop exhaust fumes pumping into her home would also be further delayed.

Both locks were closed in June 2024 because of structural safety concerns, leaving boaters unable to leave the waterway.

Work has begun to temporarily stabilise Baits Bite Lock island, which was forecast to cost between £1.3m and £1.5m.

Ms Clarke, who has lived on a boat for 14 years, said the closure had affected her social life and meant she could not navigate to the boatyard for essential repairs.

She said the vessel's exhaust pumped fumes into the boat every time she used hot water.

Forecasted reopening times for the locks had already been pushed back, and Ms Clarke said she feared the temporary fix date would also be extended.

"I have to keep a really tight eye and have extra monitors in for Co2," she said.

"It's hampered my day-to-day living in a way.

"Do I have to spend another winter with exhaust emitting into my boat? They can't leave us stranded here forever and people do want to move around the rivers, that's partly why I'm in a boat, I like exploring other parts of the waterways."

Leisure boater Ian Farrell had been restoring his narrowboat for several years so he could explore the river network for his 50th birthday.

The 51-year-old, from Cambridge, said his plans were scuppered when the locks closed "overnight, with no warning at all".

He was concerned how the locks were allowed to become so unsafe and if the conservancy was "fit for purpose in 2025".

"The river plays an important part in everybody's life," Mr Farrell said.

"I've been in Cambridge for 25 years and somehow the river has always been in my life.


"It's a huge responsibility to keep that that river open and accessible to everybody who lives here."

He added that the Conservators had increased fees for boaters by 5%, "which is pretty much a smack in the face if they're not even giving the service that they should be providing."

The majority of the Conservators' income is generated through boater registration fees and it does not receive government or local authority subsidies.

It relies on self-funding, which makes it difficult to afford large projects, repairs or improvements.

A rebuild of the locks would be needed at some point, but the Conservators said their current goal was to make it safe for use.

Chief executive Helen Cleary previously told the BBC: "It's taken a lot of time to get to this point and the conservancy are pooling a majority of the money... for the benefit of the environment and impact of the boaters."

The organisation has been contacted for further comment.

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