The construction of an inland port at Colwick at Nottingham is being discussed by British Waterways and the East Midlands Regional Assembly.

About 300 tonnes of aggregates are moved on the river in Notts with plans for the scheme expand into Lincs.

Although substantially slower than road travel, each barge can carry the equivilant of 15 lorries.

Eco-friendly

Roy Parker from British Waterways said: "What we're looking to do is double freight on our waterways.

"We're looking towards getting 6 million tonnes on our waterways by the year 2010 by targeting aggregates and waste - we see major opportunites on the Trent to do this.

"In Lincolnshire, the Fossdyke and Witham canal gives access through to Lincoln and Boston and there may be opportunities to move some freight there, but they would be limited because the navigation is down to 80 tonnes in terms of size of vessel."

There is already a similar scheme underway in London.

"People are recognising the benefits of water transport, it's environmentally friendly and it's socially acceptable and it can provide sustainable transport solutions." Mr Parker added.