| British Waterways has got so fed up with canal narrowboaters leaving lock gates open that it has imposed a partial ban on overnight travel near Newbury.
With worryingly low water levels along stretches of the popular Kennet & Avon Canal, the authority has banned anyone from using Kintbury Lock between 5.30pm and 8am to conserve water.
Increased boat traffic on the canal has been blamed for causing drought along the Dun and Lambourn rivers in recent years. Additionally, the natural underground reservoirs beneath the Berkshire Downs are used to keep the River Thames topped up.
Meanwhile, work has just begun on a new lock gates at Copse Lock, between Hamstead Marshall and Kintbury, after a £500,000 dredging operation has been completed. | 
