Lib Dem Candidate Launches Campaign to Save Cambridge's Historic River Cam as Critical Infrastructure Faces Collapse

Cheney Payne, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Cambridge, today launched an urgent petition calling on the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to guarantee funding for the repair of two critical locks on the River Cam that are at imminent risk of complete failure.

The Jesus Green and Baits Bite locks have been closed since June 2024 after engineering surveys revealed that they are in imminent danger of collapse. The Conservators of the River Cam face repair costs of £1.5 million per lock for immediate stabilisation work and at least £5 million per lock for full reconstruction – costs that are beyond their financial means.

"The River Cam is not just a picturesque backdrop to our historic city –- it is part of a wider vital ecosystem of tributaries and the chalk catchment, maintained and controlled by sluices and weirs which the locks and lock islands support," said Cheney Payne. "We cannot allow these locks to fail through lack of government support."

The lock closures have already stranded boat owners for over a year and threaten to end the boating activities that draw visitors from around the world to Cambridge. However, Cheney emphasised that the environmental stakes are even higher.

“The River Cam is part of England's rare chalk stream ecosystem – a habitat type so precious that 85% of the world's 200 chalk streams are found in England. The river supports diverse wildlife including pike, perch, bream, kingfishers, grey herons and cormorants.”

The petition, addressed to The Right Honourable Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, calls for urgent government intervention to guarantee the funding needed to repair and maintain both locks.

"This is exactly the kind of environmental infrastructure that government should be supporting," Cheney added. "We're not asking for spending on a new project – we're asking to protect existing, irreplaceable natural heritage that, once lost, cannot be restored."

The petition is available for signing at www.cambridgelibdems.org.uk/campaigns/save-the-river-cam and supporters are encouraged to contact their MPs to urge government action.