Editing River Parrett (section)

==== Decline ====
The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened in late 1853, and the effects on the Parrett Navigation were immediate. Despite petitions from users of the Westport Canal to keep their section open for navigation, the Commissioners opted to abandon the entire navigation; the canal was maintained for drain purposes only.<ref name=russell-65-66>{{Harvnb|Russell|1971|pp=65–66}}</ref> Some boats continued to use the river to reach Langport and beyond until the early years of the 20th century.<ref name="hadfield83-91"/> There is still a public right of navigation as far as Oath Lock, but very few private boats use the river, largely due to the fierce tides in the estuary and a lack of moorings along its route.<ref>{{harvnb|OS-Nicholson|2003|p=25}}</ref>

In 2019, the town of Langport obtained a grant of £179,000 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] (Defra). With a contribution from the town council and other sources, over £200,000 was available to improve access to {{convert|7.6|mi|km}} of the river from Oath Lock to Thorney Bridge. The grant funded the construction of pontoons and access ramps, and improvements to the riverside pathway between Langport and Huish Bridge. The project covered {{convert|6.5|mi|km}} of the upper Parrett, together with {{convert|1|mi|km}} of the River Yeo and a tiny section of the River Isle.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Funding for River Parrett project |magazine=Waterways World |date=May 2019 |issn=0309-1422 |page=41}}</ref>{{sfn |Mead |2022 |p=78}} Langport councillor Ian Macnab launched a former ferry from Devon onto the upper Parrett on 5 July 2017, with a view to running it as a community boat. The launch of ''The Duchess of Cocklemoor'' was witnessed by over 200 local people,{{sfn |Mumby |2017}} and the vessel has since had its diesel engine replaced by a {{convert|1.5|kW|hp|abbr=on}} electric motor, powered by solar panels mounted on the roof.{{sfn |Mead |2022 |p=80}}