City Hall’s £1.8bn plans to improve London’s waterways have neglected the capital’s litter-filled canals, campaigners say.
The proposals do not outline specific schemes and make no mention of canals.
Ian Shacklock, chair of the Friends of the Regent’s Canal, referenced Islington’s Regents canal and the city’s rivers and said: “Why should one be cleaner than the other? Why have rivers been prioritised?”
While the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said City Hall’s plans were intended to “reverse years of damage to London’s waterways”, he talked only of the “shameful levels of pollution” entering rivers.
Mr Shacklock said improving water quality was vital for rivers, whereas canals would benefit from being cleared of litter because “nobody drinks the water”. The Regents, he said, relies on volunteers to clean up the canal and the towpath.
Still, the state of the Regent’s water is not perfect. Even a cheap, widely available testing kit indicates the presence of lead at 20-30mg per litre — triple the level deemed safe in drinking water.
Nitrates are the result of agricultural runoff and fertilisers, which promote the growth of algae and deprive water of its oxygen, killing fish. At 10mg per litre, the Regent’s concentration of the chemical is at levels associated with excessive algae growth.
“Why should one be cleaner than the other?”
Ian Shacklock, chair of the Friends of the Regent’s Canal
One resident, Andrew, 30, whose flat overlooks Regents Canal, said litter was the main problem blighting the water and its surroundings: “When you look into the canal it is filled with crap.”
He also said while locals made a “cheap buck on the side” by lifting waste from the Regent’s with a magnet, the council has failed to provide sufficient cleaning services.
The canal is one of Islington’s few watercourses apart from the “lost” – now underground – River Fleet. The section of the New River still in use ends in Hackney, with the Islington course now filled with decorative ponds.
Mr Shacklock wants to tackle graffiti in a clean-up. He said: “It’s the lawlessness of it and we know in some cases it may be regarded as art, but most, nine times out of 10, it’s related to drugs and crime.”
He added: “People are deterred from using the canal as a space of wellbeing if they feel threatened.”
Mr Shacklock was adamant the canal should not become purely recreational, and he would rather “die in a ditch” than see the removal of boat traffic.
The proposed £1.8bn comes mostly from Thames Water, with the Greater London Authority and the London Wildlife Trust spending £7m and £800,000, respectively, on the mayor’s new coalition.
Partners will spend the funds on initiatives to prevent road run-off from entering waterways, to reduce flooding, and to encourage rewilding. The effort will be fronted by presenter Steve Backshall MBE.
The Mayor of London’s office was contacted for comment.
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Finlay is our Canonbury reporter. Their words have appeared in various student publications at Warwick University. They are always open to new stories and leads.