A roving theatre group touring the UK by road and waterway have been forced to crane their vintage boat onto dry land for the first time in almost 50 years due to drought.
Mikron were unable to continue travelling on the River Thames into Oxfordshire due to low water levels in a year of record-breaking weather that has brought four heatwaves to date.
Instead, the intrepid troupe had to hire a crane to lift the narrowboat, Tyseley, out of the river at Reading and transport it to a marina in Calcutt, Warwickshire, three hours away by road.
It’s the first time since 1976 that Mikron — who play a marathon roster of outdoor shows every summer — have had to lift their temporary home out of the water network due to dry conditions.
The interruption came last week as the canal network felt the strain after the earlier heatwaves and one of the driest springs on record.
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‘It’s been nearly five decades since we had to crane the boat out due to drought,’ Mikron producer Pete Toon said.
‘There’s just very little water in the canal network.
‘The Canal & River Trust have been brilliant with us as an organisation, but you can’t get through if you can’t get through.
‘In the south, there’s been no significant rain for months and we are being told it won’t be hours or days to top up these reservoirs, but months.
‘We are probably looking at a network that isn’t going to be back up on its feet until next spring. And if we have a dry winter, we’ll be starting in a worse place than we were this year.
‘It’s extreme, we’ve never known anything like this.’
Playing 139 shows at unusual venues ranging from pubs to allotments, many of which are ‘pay what you feel’, the Yorkshire-based troupe were hit by a closure of the canal to navigation at Cropredy, near Banbury.
Essentially, the low water levels impact reservoirs feeding the Oxford Canal, leading to locks being shut or restricted.
After the Tyseley was taken to the marina, the company has continued the last 10 days of what should have been a water-borne tour by road.
The team, including the four cast members, hope to resume their journey on the canal system tomorrow morning.
‘We could get on the canal, but we just couldn’t go anywhere, so we had to go back to Reading to get craned out,’ Pete said.
‘It’s like taking your caravan to Cornwall and not being able to get on the roads into the county once you’re nearly there.
‘We are praying that there is enough water in the system so we can get back onto the canal network next week and do what we signed up for.
‘Hopefully there’ll be enough water in the system to get us to at least north of Worcester.’
Mikron, a registered charity, told supporters that it was forced to make the ‘difficult decision’ of craning the boat out at a cost of £3,144.
The fuel and incidental costs of travelling by van are also far greater than the relatively inexpensive canal boat.
Overall, it’s only the fourth time in the theatre group’s 53-year history that Tyseley has been craned out of the water.
The award-winning company is currently touring a show about the great British seaside and another about Bletchley Park to spaces including allotments, village halls and pubs.
‘There’s an irony that at board level we have set up an environment sub-committee and we are probably one of the few charities that has a climate change fund designated in our accounts,’ Pete said.
‘We are very aware of climate change, as we spend our days in the weather, whether it’s cold, raining or hot.
‘Another irony is that we have just commissioned another play about water, the ownership and the waste that goes into the network.
‘It genuinely looks like if this becomes a pattern, it will change our business model. We won’t be able to tour by boat, we’ll have to keep going by road.’
The Canal & River Trust said the network was ‘feeling the strain after one of the driest springs on record and several heatwaves’ so far this year.
Teams are on the ground carrying out tasks to alleviate the pressures and hydrology experts are planning for a range of scenarios.
Matthew Symonds, head of boating & customer service at the charity, said: ‘Despite a few heavy downpours recently, we need sustained rain to top up the reservoirs that feed the canals.
‘But, as soon as water levels allow, we’ll get them back open.
‘We know how frustrating navigation restrictions are and we’re grateful to boaters for their support and patience.
‘It’s important to stress that towpaths are still very much open for visitors looking to walk, cycle or simply spend time by the water, as well as plenty of amazing waterside businesses to visit.’
The latest heatwave is expected to register a peak of 34C (93F) today, with amber and yellow health alerts for all of England until Wednesday.
Five areas are officially in drought due to the prolonged hot weather, with river flows and water reservoir levels continuing to recede.
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