The inland waterways rescue organisation, River Canal Rescue, says figures up to September 30 are already 3318, ahead of 3235 logged for 2021, and 2850 rescues in 2020.
The callouts have generally been for electrical, fuel and engine issues, flat batteries, over-heating and gear box failures, with River Canal Rescue saying the rise is due to the high number of people unable to visit and maintain their boats during lockdown, resulting in minor niggles now becoming larger problems.
“Figures are currently at an unseasonable high and we still have a couple of months to go,” said MD, Stephanie Horton. “It’s worth noting that only 14% of callouts were attended by contractors this year, partially due to their availability.
She added: “Considering how busy we have been, it’s likely 2022 will be one of the highest callout attendances on record.”
River Canal Rescue’s Canal Contracting service has also arranged 455 visits this year to undertake a variety of work, including: plumbing and electrical installations, gearbox replacements, inverter, solar installations and general engine maintenance as well as 90 rescue jobs.
See a related article here:River Canal Rescue reports 171 major incidents in 2021 on UK canals including sunken vessels