Editing Kennet and Avon Canal (section)

===Restoration===
[[File:Devizeslockspreresotoration.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Caen Hill Locks]] in the 1970s]]
Restoration work involved a collaboration between staff from British Waterways and volunteer labour. In 1966 [[Sulhamstead Lock]] was rebuilt and the [[Puddling (engineering)|re-puddling]] of the dry section at [[Limpley Stoke]] was begun. In 1968, restoration work was undertaken on the [[Bath Locks]] and [[Burghfield Lock]]. In Reading at Bridge Street the navigable headroom had been reduced from {{convert|8|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} to {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} by girders added to the underside of the bridge.<ref name=clew143>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=143}}</ref> This was replaced with a new bridge, enabling craft to pass more easily.<ref name="iwakahist"/> The canal was reopened from the Thames to Hungerford Wharf in July 1974.<ref name="hunghist"/> Re-puddling was a long process, so experiments with the use of heavy gauge [[polyethylene|polythene]] to line the canal were undertaken. The [[Avoncliff Aqueduct]] was lined with a concrete "cradle" and made water-tight in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Kennet and Avon Canal |url=http://www.avoncliff.co.uk/archives/792 |publisher=Avoncliff |access-date=6 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402060341/http://www.avoncliff.co.uk/archives/792 |archive-date= 2 April 2012 }}</ref>

Further works continued during the 1980s. [[Berkshire County Council]], supported by local councils, estimated that £1,275,000 was needed for works at the eastern end of the canal and commenced work on replacing some of the bridges. In [[Wiltshire]], concerns over the limited water supply to the [[summit pound]] indicated that back-pumping would be required, which increased the estimated cost for the county to £761,560. The [[Wilton Water]] reservoir was estimated to produce less than {{convert|750000|impgal|m3}} per day, and the Seend feeder only {{convert|250000|impgal|m3|abbr=on}}. [[Wessex Water|Wessex Water Authority]]<!-- its name at the time --> agreed to the extraction of {{convert|1000000|impgal|m3|abbr=on}} per day from the Avon at Claverton to be pumped east; the costs of the pumps was £175,000.<ref name=lj77>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=77}}</ref>

Various fund-raising schemes, along with some financial support from local authorities, allowed small-scale work on the locks to continue, but the projected timescales for completion were missed. In 1983 the [[Manpower Services Commission]], which had a remit to co-ordinate employment and training services in the United Kingdom, agreed to employ 50 men on work that included restoration of [[Aldermaston Lock]], its adjacent wharf, and [[Widmead Lock]]. The restoration of [[Dundas Aqueduct]] and several smaller schemes were later added to the list. Maintenance agreements were signed with local authorities along the route, while fund-raising activities continued. The [[Nacro|National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders]] sponsored a workshop, which opened in [[Shrivenham]] in 1987, to create new lock gates for the Crofton and Devizes flights. In 1988 the restoration of [[Woolhampton Lock]] was completed, but obstructions remained on either side. Frouds [[swing bridge]] could not be opened and the restoration of [[Midgham Lock]] had not been finished; both were completed the following year. Re-puddling of the Crofton pounds was carried out in 1989, along with the reconstruction of Midgham Bridge. Restoration of the turf-sided [[Monkey Marsh Lock]] proved difficult because of its status as a [[scheduled monument]], and the consequent need to protect the historic site while improving safety.<ref name=lj78to93>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |pp=78–93}}</ref>

[[File:Monkey Marsh Lock - geograph.org.uk - 333244.jpg|thumb|left|[[Monkey Marsh Lock]] built in 1723, one of only two turf-sided [[Lock (water transport)|locks]] on the Kennet and Avon Canal]]
The stretch between Reading and Newbury was completed on 17 July 1990; at a ceremony held at [[Monkey Marsh Lock]] several boats competed to be the first craft through. Concerns about the adequacy of the water supply still remained when [[Elizabeth II]] formally reopened the canal on 8 August 1990. The Queen was able to travel on the Trust's boat, ''The Rose of Hungerford'', through locks 44 and 43 on the Caen Hill flight, breaking a ceremonial tape between them.<ref name=lj101o102>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |pp=101–102}}</ref> The shortage of water was addressed in 1996 by the installation of new back pumps at the flight of 29&nbsp;locks at Caen Hill in Devizes, at a cost of £1&nbsp;million. The pumps raise water {{convert|235|ft|m}} at a rate of {{convert|300000|impgal|m3}} per hour (380&nbsp;litres per second). In October 1996,<ref name=lj120>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=120}}</ref> the Kennet & Avon Canal Partnership attracted the largest single [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] grant awarded by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], £25&nbsp;million towards a £29&nbsp;million project,<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/community-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=17 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318032823/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/community-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> to complete the restoration and to make it operational, sustainable and accessible for the enjoyment of future generations.<ref name="hunghist">{{cite web |title=The restoration of the canal |url=http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Themes/Transport/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal/The_Restoration_of_the_Canal/the_restoration_of_the_canal.html |publisher=Hungerford Virtual Museum |access-date=17 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322155104/http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Themes/Transport/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal/The_Restoration_of_the_Canal/the_restoration_of_the_canal.html |archive-date=22 March 2012 }}</ref> The work funded included complete rebuilding of Foxhangers Lock and bridge at Caen Hill, replacement of lock gates at Seend and Crofton, channel lining at Claverton, embankment repairs at Martinslade, improvements at Claverton pumping station and dredging at various sites.<ref name=lj127>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=127}}</ref> The restoration's completion was celebrated in May 2003 by a visit from [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince Charles' Visit|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/prince-charles-visit|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318033108/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/prince-charles-visit | archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal Museum |url=http://www.ipresent.co.uk/KA3.HTM |publisher=Interactive Presentations |access-date=19 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925021135/http://www.ipresent.co.uk/KA3.HTM |archive-date=25 September 2006 }}</ref> but upgrading and maintenance continues. Between 2002 and 2004, Dundas Aqueduct – which had been relined with polythene and concrete in 1984<ref name=allsop23>{{harvnb |Allsop |1987 |p=23}}</ref> without disturbing a colony of bats living under the aqueduct<ref name=pearson21>{{harvnb |Pearson |2003 |p=21}}</ref> – was further restored by the replacement of engineering bricks used by the [[Great Western Railway]] with [[Bath stone]] to match the original work.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dundas Aqueduct|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=17 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318032839/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal| archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref>

On 1 December 2004, two men died when the [[Ford N-series tractor|Ford tractor]] in which they were reversing along part of the towpath between Bridge 111 and Bridge 110 toppled into the water. British Waterways was found guilty of failing to adequately [[risk assessment|assess risk]] and fined £100,000. A subsequent dispute with their insurers gave rise to legal consideration of the meaning of certain terminology in their [[insurance policy]] concerned with liability "arising out of" the operation of a tractor.<ref>England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court), [https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2012/460.html British Waterways v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc (2012) EWHC 460 (Comm)] published 7 March 2012, accessed 5 October 2022</ref>

In 2011 the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] designated the canal a national "cruiseway" as defined by the [[Transport Act 1968]]. The listing imposes a legal requirement on British Waterways to maintain the canal to a standard that ensures cruising craft can safely navigate the entire length of the waterway.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal gains 'cruiseway' status|url=http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/news/3025/kennet-and-avon-canal-gains-cruiseway-status|work=Waterscape|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> In November 2011 the navigation between Bath and Bristol was closed for several months because of safety concerns about [[Victoria Bridge, Bath|Victoria Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Update: New row over Victoria Bridge as part of river closed to boats |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-New-row-Victoria-Bridge-river-closed-boats/story-13797253-detail/story.html |publisher=This is Bath |access-date=17 November 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117001525/http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-New-row-Victoria-Bridge-river-closed-boats/story-13797253-detail/story.html |archive-date=17 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Victoria Bridge repairs approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-18439209 |access-date=12 March 2013 |date=14 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617070418/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-18439209 |archive-date=17 June 2012 }}</ref>