Leicestershire waterways such as Foxton Locks would be 'severely affected' by cuts, warns Canal and River Trust

Government funding cuts could put historic Leicestershire waterways at risk and jeopardise the running of key sites like Foxton Locks, the Canal and River Trust has warned.

It was announced earlier this month the trust is set to lose almost half of its government funding from 2027 – more than £300 million in real terms.

Launched in 2012, the trust took over the the running of canals, rivers, reservoirs and docks from British Waterways and looks after the country’s 2,000 mile long canal network. While the government has agreed to keep offering financial support, it will severely cut its budget in four years' time.

A spokesperson for the charity said this reduction could have a “devastating effect” on Leicestershire’s historic waterways, which includes special sites like Foxton Locks, as they won’t be able to provide the “scale of investment needed” to protect them from the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather.

Sean Park, a trustee with the Foxton Incline Plane Trust who run the on-site museum, said the government cuts could have a huge impact on the iconic Leicestershire site. He said: “Our view is that sites like Foxton really should be financed in such a way, and I accept that the trust has to do something to raise more money, but there should be the funding to protect the site as a whole and that probably comes from big money supplying the organisation.

“I don’t see Foxton Locks itself at risk because of the cuts, but what you want is a showcase location like this that covers a multitude of things. It isn’t just one thing here and we need to showcase a place like this so it can be as good as it can be.

“You certainly don’t want it to deteriorate in anyway because that just ultimately impacts on the public. This is a wonderful getaway place for so many place and if you have impact on that, you are having an impact all the way down the line.

“Foxton Locks is a showcase site for Leicestershire and you want it to present the best image not just to the local people but also to visitors, as it is a key county tourist site. Its not just one thing here and it’s got everything for people of all ages, we have the museum, the nature site, the environment, the water.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on the news that the department has been “very clear” to the trust since it was founded it would have to “increasingly move towards” different funding sources. They added: “To date we have awarded them £550 million funding and are supporting the Trust with a further £590 million between now and 2037 – a significant sum of money and a sign of the importance that we place on our canals.

“We have been discussing this with the charity for some time and have been offering support on how it can increase income from other sources, as per the original objective of the grant funding.”