Once fully restored, the trust hopes to again link Littlehampton on the south coast with the River Thames via the River Wey.

BBC: Restored Wey and Arun Canal opens to boats

Proposals for increased South East airport capacity have included expansion of Gatwick and Heathrow, more use of regional airports, and building new airports in the Thames Estuary and off the Kent coast.

BBC: Airport protest

The Wey and Arun Canal, which was opened in 1816 as a link between London and the south coast via the River Thames, runs from Shalford, in Surrey, to Pallingham in West Sussex.

BBC: Wey and Arun Canal boat trip plans on display