A CANAL charity is at loggerheads with a Swindon farmer over a stretch of waterway that should be at its busiest as the school holidays approach.

But the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust has had to cut the length of its boat trips in Wichelstowe by half after farmer Dave Watkins decided a problem with insurance cover could leave him liable and he put up a barricade.

A metal pole now blocks entrance to the part of the canal that runs through his land.

The trust’s head of communications Chris Barry said: “I really don’t understand where Dave is coming from on this.

“We have public liability insurance for that stretch of the canal so I don’t understand why he has decided to close it. It is a real disappointment that we are having to cut our boat trips by half and visitors don’t get the full experience.

“A lot of people don’t even realise Swindon has a canal and are delighted when they discover it. We are just coming up to our busiest time of the year.”

He said people with boats, who lived on the closed section of the canal, were upset they could no longer use the waterway to do their shopping at Waitrose at Wichelstowe.

Back in 2019 all was harmonious between Mr Watkins and the trust when he allowed his land to be used for the Wichelstowe Games which included a canoe race.

Mr Barry said: “Dave and I worked together on that and we were very grateful to him. He is a lovely chap but I don’t understand his point of view on this.”

Mr Watkins blames a covenant which was put in place when the land was sold to Mr Watkins family by the former Wiltshire County Council. It allows only agricultural and equestrian use of the land.

He has applied to Swindon Borough Council, which now governs the area, to have the covenant lifted and says until this is agreed he is unable to get insurance.

He said: “The canal breaches the covenant issue therefore you can’t get insurance.”

He said he took the action on advice of his lawyers.

“My insurance company is deeply worried about liability if someone was seriously injured, or worse, on the canal.”

This section of the canal was restored by the trust in 2020 as part of a major project to re-open the old waterway.

Mr Watkins said he and his family had been happy to help with the exercise when approached to see if the land could be cleared and restored to allow navigation to re-start.

He was delighted that the canal restoration had breathed new life into the area.

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “The legal agreements around the covenant are not straightforward and are taking some time to unpick. We are working as quickly as we can to clarify the situation.”