THE future prosperity of Middlewich’s canals could be under threat, according to a new study.

Two surveys by the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) have revealed that many experienced boaters are ‘seriously concerned’ about the state of the country’s waterways.

Safety issues such as worn lock spindles, boats caught on damaged brickwork in locks, shallow moorings and badly maintained banks were among a list of worries.

Eighty-five per cent also said they have encountered broken equipment which could endanger users and visitors.

Others reported rubbish dumped in the waterways system, weeds blocking the canals, breaches and leaks threatening homes and businesses and 57 per cent say that many bridges are badly damaged.

Meanwhile, 85 per cent of boaters and boating businesses say that rising costs above inflation are threatening their way of life.

The results of the study, which was conducted in association with the Residential Boat Owners Association and The Boating Association, are expected to be of shock to Middlewich residents as the town relies on its canal network to bring in trade.

Around 8,500 canal boats pass through the town via the Shropshire Union, Trent and Mersey, and the Wardle canal every year.

Middlewich also has two festivals to celebrate its canal culture and heritage – the Folk and Boat Festival and the Middlewich Boat Rally.

David Fletcher, NABO chairman, said: “This detailed survey of boaters shows the level of concern.

“These people know what they are talking about. They have over 7,000 years’ worth of boating experience.

“The people who run British Waterways have very little – there are no boat owners on the British Waterways board.

“We hope the Government will heed the warning that a lack of preventative maintenance is threatening the future of one of the UK’s most treasured resources.

“A £30million annual underfunding cannot continue indefinitely without catastrophic consequences.”

A British Waterways spokesman said the findings of the NABO survey will be used to help with works for 2010.

“The key benefit of customer feedback like this is that it helps us prioritise the works we do in line with customer needs,” he said.

“We will report back to NABO on the items identified as ‘urgent’ and ‘medium term’ outlining the actions we have taken or plan to take but unfortunately we simply do not have enough money to do everything.

“We have to constantly make decisions on priorities to try and deliver the best value that we can for the waterways and I would like to thank NABO members for taking the time to complete the survey which will help us with this task.”