Experts warn River Cam at risk if locks fail as Conservators battle to fund repairs
Water levels could drop on the Cam and punting on the Backs could become impossible if two of its closed locks fail, according to river experts.
But the organisation charged with managing the waterway faces major financial challenges and warns it cannot afford to repair both.
The Conservators of the River Cam says that without urgent financial support it cannot undertake work to Jesus Lock island.
The navigation authority already faces an estimated £1.5million bill for essential work due to start early next month to stabilise Baits Bite Lock island near Milton.
Structural surveys carried out in 2024 on the two key lock islands confirmed that both structures require urgent temporary stabilisation to prevent collapse and that ultimately a full structural rebuild would be required.
The river organisation says the works at Baits Bite will provide respite for between five and 10 years before a rebuild needs to be considered. However, there is no money for that work.
“Should the lock islands fail,” a statement by the Conservators explained, “the result would be the lowering of the water levels of the river significantly, making navigational access impossible, particularly above Baits Bite Lock.”
It warned: “This would impact the city, local businesses, residents, ecology and more.”
Anne Miller, co-chair of voluntary group Cam Valley Forum, said that if the locks failed it would be a “disaster” for the city.
“Not only would the water run out of the river – forget about punting on the Backs – but it risks exposing centuries of waste that will have been quietly resting on the river bed along the Backs, everything from shopping trolleys and bikes, to the debris from the coal fires used by the colleges in previous centuries.
“Exposing this will be bad for people as well as all the non-human inhabitants of the river,” she warned.
The Conservators, the statutory navigation authority, took the decision to postpone its scheduled open day on Tuesday, 24 June to enable it to concentrate on the stabilisation project at Baits Bite Lock.
“We share the frustration over these delays, and the postponement of the open day. We will, over the coming weeks, be sharing much more information on the website, both on the stabilisation project as work finally gets under way, and also more background information about the Conservancy, and the very real existential challenges we face,” the organisation says.
Last year, the Conservancy informed the local authorities, Defra and the Environment Agency of the emergency at the lock islands, and the impact of the significant costs.
It requested financial support and professional expertise and was able to secure £12,500 of match funding from Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District councils to recruit a consultant to build a business case for external funding and review the requirements of the organisation.
The majority of the Conservators’ income is generated through boater registration fees and it does not receive government or local authority subsidies.
It says it is “unable to consider repairs” at Jesus Lock island, and are presenting their accounts “as a going concern for the next 12 months in this way, without any financial commitment to its repair. Staving off the issue of insolvency”.
The organisation is also engaging with local MPs, Cambridgeshire County Council and the University of Cambridge.
A review of the organisation’s current business plan had acknowledged the need to explore alternative income streams.
“It remains our opinion that unless specifically instructed by state or court, the necessary funding required by the Conservancy to ensure long-term survival will not be made available,” the Conservancy said.
“The Conservancy may yet need to be incorporated into another organisation or simply become unviable and inoperative as it is unclear how the organisation may secure the necessary income stream to avoid similar crises in the future,” it added.
The Conservancy is calling for a national review of infrastructure funding to support waterways and navigations.