One day you could take a boat from Langport to Swansea or from Taunton to Bristol but there’s a lock that needs to be well… unlocked.

The lock at Bridgwater Docks needs to be restored in order to allow boats to travel inland and also into the River Parrett and thence out into the open seas said self-declared canal fan Mike Slade of Bridgwater.

He said: “We’re restricted by the lock at the docks which isn’t working. If it was restored then we could have boats up and down from all over the place from Bristol, Bath and Wales. The lock is the key to it all. The lock is leased from Somerset County Council by the Canals and Rivers Trust. The lease is up for review in 2020 and we’re all waiting with baited breath to see what will happen.”

The Friends of Bridgwater Docks and Canal hold fund-raising events such as a Christmas Fair and a summer barbecue to help maintain Somerset’s watery jewels. The Celebration Mile will start in the docks and link up with the railway station when it is completed.

Mr Slade is part of a volunteer group who work to help keep the canal clear of rubbish dedicating much of his week to the thankless task which ensures the waterway looks its best. A former IT manager he discovered the canal when he lived in a caravan at Bathpool. After hiring a boat to explore its length he took a job in Gloucestershire that involved working with the Cotswold Canal Trust. Now retired and living in Bridgwater he said following a stroke his work as a volunteer working to preserve and enhance the waterway has kept him alive and full of enthusiasm for life.

The canal was opened in 1827 linking the River Tone to the River Parrett. Commercial traffic died out in the 20th century but it was restored in the 1990s to ensure leisure craft can travel between Bridgwater docks and Taunton.

To get involved with the volunteers contact Mike Slade at the West Country branch of the Inland Waterways at mike.slade@waterways.org.uk

Would you like to see the River Parrett and River Tone joined by restoration of the lock by Somerset County Council? Email your thoughts on the canal and docks to harry.mottram@nqsw.co.uk