There's presently a restriction on available operations at Keadby Lock. There has been a failure to a decommissioned ground paddle chamber, which was blocked off several decades ago. This is now allowing a constant flow of water into the lock, from the Stainforth & Keadby Canal. The ingress of water is leading to turbulence within the lock, at times that the level of the River Trent is lower than the canal. Therefore, we are only able to offer limited passage through Keadby Lock as follows: -

Craft requiring passage through Keadby Lock from the River Trent MUST have a booking in place.

Passage from River Trent to Stainforth & Keadby Canal Designated arrival time slots will be provided, and skippers must plan their journey to arrive at Keadby Lock 1-hour before high water. Entry into the lock will only be possible for craft that have suitable power to push the incoming tide. Ensure journey plans, timings and tide sizes are agreed when making your booking with the Lock Keeper. An experienced skipper with knowledge of the crafts capabilities is essential. Failure to arrive during the designated time slot could result in inability to enter the lock. In this case, the craft would have to return upriver, against the outgoing tide to the Gainsborough floating pontoon until a further booking could be made.

Passage from Stainforth & Keadby Canal to River Trent Departure from Keadby Lock heading upstream on the River Trent will only be possible around 1-hour before high water. Departing craft are advised to plan to layover at West Stockwith before commencing onward journey to Torksey/Cromwell due to the available tide.

To discuss your requirements and make a booking, please call the Lock Keeper at Keadby Lock on 07733 124611 with at least 48 hours' notice.

Our engineering team are currently working on a plan for undertaking the necessary repair to the decommissioned culvert. An in-season stoppage will be required to carry out the required repair works, to allow the lock to reopen with full passage capability. We expect this to occur in late Spring 2026.

Divers have removed obstructions on the river gate cills and Keady Lock is now operable with use of river gates only. This will vastly limit available passage times and prior planning for passage at Keadby Lock is vital.

Please contact the lock keeper to discuss any prospective bookings with at least 48 hours' notice to discuss dates in which passage will be possible considering tide heights and times.

A dive team will be attending on Friday 20th February to investigate the obstruction to the lower river gates, with view to remove.

We will update this notice on Monday 23rd February with further advice following the dive.

Further investigations to the cill obstruction will be made this week as it has not been possible to determine the nature of the obstruction. Once the obstruction has been identified and removed, we will advise on passage availability.

We will provide an update on Monday 9th February.

Keadby Lock is currently closed due to 2 operational issues with the site: -  

• An obstruction of the downstream gates is preventing them closing and creating a seal. We are currently investigating what is causing this obstruction and once determined, we will plan for it to be cleared.

 

• A decommissioned culvert is leaking water into the lock, whilst craft pen up from the River Trent. This culvert is believed to be part of the original structure and isn't featured on current drawings. A repair will require a stoppage with the lock dewatered.

  Once the obstruction to the lock gates is cleared, we will be able to offer restricted passage in situations where the River Trent is higher than the canal. We will advise of the opportunity to book passage under these conditions once the gate obstruction has been cleared.   An update to this notice will be given by Monday 2nd February 2026.