As many of you reading this will have heard, there are very real concerns about the future of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The canal is reliant upon water abstracted from the River Usk, but new conditions put in place by Natural Resource Wales require the Canal & River Trust to comply with a new abstraction licence that limits the water that can be used from the river.

The implications of this are that as water levels drop, especially in dryer times, the canal may become inoperable for periods. This obviously poses a serious risk to the canal and the many businesses who operate on it. This would be hugely damaging to our tourism offer and local economy.

For over 200 years the canal has operated successfully without these restrictions and many of us are challenging why this has come about, especially when the water is only borrowed from the Usk at Brecon and returned at Newport.

So, the Trust is now facing having to pay enormous costs, possibly £1m to Welsh Water to provide water from other sources, money they just can't afford, or restricting the use of the canal as water levels drop.

It is incredibly concerning to see that the future of this important waterway is under threat. It's ironic that the Welsh Government's regulator NRW, setup to protect our Welsh environment, could through regulation destroy a key part of our that environment, indeed a Jewell in the crown that we are all proud of.

I was the first to raise this issue in the Senedd in early March and have since written to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and NRW, seeking a viable solution to secure and protect the future of the canal for generations to come. You can see my statement in the Senedd, and a copy of my letter to Welsh Government on my website: peterfox.uk

It is crucial and urgent that Welsh Government and NRW work closely with the Canal Trust and Welsh Water to find a sustainable way forward.

An important petition has been launched by local councillor County Councillor Jan Butler, calling on the Welsh Government to protect the canal. At the time of writing it had already gained 4,500 signatures. Once it gets to 10,000 it can be debated in the Senedd.

While this may seem like a small gesture, signing the petition will enable the voices of local communities to be heard and show the Welsh Government just how important this issue is.

At the end of the day, this issue must be sorted as soon as possible for the sake of our community and this beautiful landmark and I will do all I can to fight for its future.