Closure of Maida Hill Tunnel
A two-mile stretch of the canal was closed after a major fire on 29th April 2025. It reopened on 4th May 2025.
See below for some updates that have been extracted from the CRT website, on a web page that is no longer available. It has been replaced by this notification.
Maida Hill Tunnel Closed
Starts: 29 April 2025 11:00 am
Ends:
Type: Navigation Closure
Reason: Information
Is the towpath closed? No
Location
Closest waterway : Regent's Canal
Starts at Little Venice Pool
Ends at Lock 3, Bypass Weir Kentish Town Lock
Description
Please be advised that due to an environmental pollution incident related to the fire at St Johns Wood Substation, Maida Hill tunnel has been closed.
Updates will be provided when available
Updates
30/04/2025 10:51
The emergency services have been on site all night and continue to be incident control. We are continuing to work closely with them and contractors on site from National Grid to contain the pollution and to start to develop a plan to clear up now that the fire is out and temperature more manageable. This is an evolving situation and we will look to provide a further update later today. The tunnel will continue to be closed until the clean up is complete. We continue to request that boaters do not move in the affected area to help minimise the spread of pollution
30/04/2025 17:05
Further Update: Specialist contractors have started to empty the generator tanks and will continue overnight. Clean up of the canal is underway and the western portal has been skimmed today and booms still in place.
We plan to start to draw the water through the tunnel tomorrow by using Camden lock and collecting the oil as it exits. All being well we are hoping to have the tunnel and therefore navigation back open Friday afternoon. If there is any change to this timeline then the notice will be updated accordingly.
02/05/2025 18:43
Tunnel will not be open this evening - contractors to continue to work to clear up pollution. We will provide a further update in the morning.
03/05/2025 10:52
Update: Maida Hill tunnel remains closed until further notice. Pollution levels remain too high to re-open the tunnel today. Contractors to continue to work to clear up pollution. We will provide a further update in the morning.
04/05/2025 10:42
Maida Hill tunnel remains closed until further notice. Pollution levels are improving and we will provide a further update this afternoon.
04/05/2025 13:25
Update: The Maida Hill Tunnel is now open, following a focused effort by our contractor.
Please operate carefully in the area, for the next 48 hours as there will still be contractors continuing to work in the vicinity.
We will continue to monitor and assess pollution levels over the coming weeks and will react accordingly if needed.
