British Waterways launched an £800,000 marketing campaign today to encourage people in England and Wales to rediscover their canals and rivers.

The organisation aims to expand its waterway network by boosting visitor numbers, in response to a recent YouGov poll which revealed that although 50 per cent of people are aware that they live within five miles of a canal or river, only three per cent visit them in any one week.

Marketing and customer service director Simon Salem said: “We want to surprise people who might not normally think about their nearby canal or river and make them reassess it as something that could be part of, and improve, their everyday life.

“Half the population lives within five miles of one of our waterways, making them a hidden pleasure within easy reach for many.”

The campaign will show that canals and rivers can offer an alternative and more attractive environment for eating lunch, walking to work, jogging, dog walking and cycling, as well as leisure time activities such as waterside dining or boating.

Pilot marketing activity will take place in five trial locations – London, Birmingham, Lancaster, Milton Keynes, Leicester and Nottingham – and advance of a wider campaign throughout England and Wales in Spring 2008.

Billboard posters, localised booklets delivered to homes and even an Ad-Boat will be used to advertise the waterways and relaunch the company’s consumer information website.