British Waterways holds responsibility for a 2,200 mile, 200 year old network of canals and rivers on behalf of the people of the United Kingdom. It is also the third largest owner of listed buildings in the country, including old warehouses, docks and lock cottages, and is actively concerned with the conservation and improvement of the heritage and environment of the nation's waterways.

It is a public corporation accountable to DEFRA in England and Wales and to the Scottish government for the canals it cares for in Scotland.