The first draft of the proposed 2011/2012 Winter Stoppages programme is now live at www.waterscape.com/winterstoppages  and British Waterways is welcoming feedback via the website until Friday 3 June 2011. All comments will be taken into consideration and a revised programme will then be published in July, with the final programme following in early September

The proposed programme consists of 212 stoppages which will take place between 7 November 2011 and 9 March 2012, with a two-week Christmas break between 21 December 2011 and 4 January 2012. The winter programme is part of the vital maintenance carried out throughout the year to keep the network in working order.

Vince Moran, British Waterways’ operations director, said: “It’s really important that we work with waterway users to ensure that we get the winter stoppage programme right. I would therefore encourage people to contribute and to be as specific as possible when giving us their feedback as this will help the works planners to revise the programme."