Transport Act 1968

[F1 106A. Enforcement of maintenance duty – Canal & River Trust U.K.

(1) If, on an application by any person under this section to the High Court, the court determines that there has been, in respect of any waterway, a serious and persistent failure by Canal & River Trust to discharge the duty imposed on it by—

(a) section 105(1), or

(b) an order made under section 105(3),

the court may, subject to the provisions of this section, require Canal & River Trust to remedy that failure; but, save as aforesaid, neither subsection (1) of section 105 nor any order under subsection (3) of that section shall be construed as imposing any duty or liability enforceable by proceedings before any court to which Canal & River Trust would not otherwise be subject.

(2) The fact that proceedings on an application under subsection (1) (referred to in this section as “enforcement proceedings”) are in progress in respect of any waterway or any part of a waterway, or that the court has in any such proceedings imposed any requirement on Canal & River Trust, shall not prevent the Minister from making an order in respect of that waterway or part under section 104(3) or 105(3); but—

(a) except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, where such an order is made while enforcement proceedings are in progress, the court shall nevertheless determine those proceedings on the basis of the duty of Canal & River Trust as it stood when the proceedings were instituted; and

(b) the making of such an order shall in no case absolve Canal & River Trust from complying with any requirement which is imposed by the court in any enforcement proceedings.

(3) If a relevant order is pending at the time when enforcement proceedings are instituted, or if, at any time after enforcement proceedings have been instituted and before the court has imposed any requirement on Canal & River Trust in the proceedings, the Minister notifies Canal & River Trust that the Minister is considering the making of a relevant order and gives the court such a certificate as is mentioned in subsection (4)—

(a) the court shall not, so long as the order is pending, impose any requirement on Canal & River Trust in those proceedings; and

(b) if the order is made, the court shall, in determining in those proceedings whether there has been a failure by Canal & River Trust to discharge its duty, have regard only to the duty (if any) to which Canal & River Trust is subject in consequence of the making of the order.

(4) The certificate referred to in subsection (3) is a certificate in writing to the effect that it appears to the Minister that the imposition of any requirement on Canal & River Trust on the basis of its existing duty would result in its incurring substantial expense and that, having regard to its financial position, it would be unreasonable for it to bear that expense without a grant or further grant under section 43A of this Act.

(5) In subsection (3) “relevant order” means, in relation to any enforcement proceedings, an order under section 104(3) or 105(3) of this Act in relation to the waterway or part of a waterway which is the subject of the proceedings; and for the purposes of that subsection an order is pending during the period of three months beginning with the day on which the Minister notifies Canal & River Trust that the Minister is considering the making of the order and, if before the expiration of that period notice of the proposed order is published under Schedule 13 to this Act, during any further period until the order is made or the Minister notifies Canal & River Trust that it will not be made.

(6) As soon as may be after giving Canal & River Trust any such notification as is mentioned in subsection (5), the Minister shall give notice of the notification in the London Gazette.

(7) For the purposes of this section enforcement proceedings shall be treated as instituted at the time when the claim form beginning the proceedings is served on Canal & River Trust.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 106, 106A substituted for s. 106 (2.7.2012) by The British Waterways Board (Transfer of Functions) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/1659), art. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 40 (with arts. 4-6)