The canal through Banbury is impassable as locks have been closed after exceptionally dry weather.

The Oxford Canal locks have been closed from Claydon Top Lock 17 and Little Bourton Lock 27 through to Aynho Weir Lock 33 since last Wednesday.

The closures have come after a hosepipe ban by Thames Water and pictures showing Clattercote reservoir looking like an exotic beach.

One boat’s occupants, stranded in Cropredy, made the best of the situation, reporting on social media that they had walked a circular route to the reservoir (at 55 million gallons maximum, one of three feeding this stretch of the canal) and returning for the Sunday quiz at the Red Lion.

The canal at Banbury. Narrowboats have been stranded as the locks have been closed to preserve water

placeholder image — The canal at Banbury. Narrowboats have been stranded as the locks have been closed to preserve water

One villager said the reservoir had been ‘a muddy puddle’ in the dry summer of 1976.

The Canal and River Trust said: “We have continued to monitor the exceptionally dry conditions and the impact on our reservoirs. Unfortunately, despite all our operational efforts, as rainfall has remained well below the long-term average water levels in our feeder reservoirs are continuing to fall due to canal water demands.”

The trust said the closures are necessary to protect increasingly limited water resources and give the navigation an opportunity to recover, as well as helping preserve canal infrastructure and ecology.

"We hope that this confirmation allows time for boaters to adjust their plans and relocate as needed. If we can offer any windows at all for passage, then we will advise accordingly.

Clattercote Reservoir which can hold 55 million gallons of water but looks more like an exotic beach this summer

"We will continue to monitor the situation and provide fortnightly updates, or sooner if conditions change. Despite the measures we're taking, there may be extreme local circumstances that require us to take immediate action to temporarily close some other stretches on the South Oxford navigation.

"If it rains enough to allow safe navigation, restrictions will be lifted: this is likely to require sufficient and prolonged rain over several weeks rather than a sudden very heavy downpour.

"Our priority is to reopen the canal to full navigation as soon as possible. We thank you for your support in reducing water use across our network and reporting leaks or concerns via 0303 040 4040 or our Contact Us page.”