Identifying leaks and seepage in canal infrastructure
Innovate UK Business Connect is supporting Canal & River Trust to identify innovative, low-cost methods for detecting canal leaks and seepage, particularly hidden leaks that do not visibly daylight at the ground surface. Solutions should help the Trust identify potential leak locations earlier and more cost-effectively, enabling targeted follow-up inspection, monitoring and repair.
Opportunity
Challenge opens
15/09/2026
Challenge closes
27/10/2026
Benefit
Canal & River Trust is looking to identify innovative, low-cost methods for detecting potential leaks and seepage from canals, particularly where leaks do not visibly daylight at the ground surface. The Trust is seeking solutions that can help identify unknown or hidden leaks, leakage pathways and associated subsurface damage at an earlier stage, enabling more targeted inspection, monitoring and intervention. Selected solution(s) may be invited to pitch to Canal & River Trust and could be considered for pilot trials, with potential for further adoption if trials are successful and commercially viable.
Background
Canal & River Trust is the charity responsible for protecting and managing a historic canal and river network, with over 2,000 miles of canals. Much of the canal portfolio was constructed in the early 1800s and includes a wide range of ground conditions, embankments, wash walls, canal beds and lining materials including puddle clay, concrete and newer synthetic liners.
Leaks can arise through deterioration of liners, ground movement, vegetation and root pathways, animal burrowing, erosion, wetting and drying cycles, historic construction variability, mining legacy and failures around structures such as culverts. Some leaks are visible at the ground surface, but others pass into permeable ground beneath or beside the canal, making them difficult to detect or observe through routine inspection.
The Trust currently identifies leaks through inspections, risk-based asset management processes and a range of specialist techniques. However, many existing methods can be costly, complex, site-specific or unsuitable for broad proactive deployment. Earlier and cheaper identification of hidden leaks would help reduce the likelihood of asset deterioration, support water resource management and allow the Trust to prioritise further investigation and repairs more effectively.
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