The Minister may, on the application of any qualified body which owns or manages an inland waterway and after consultation with the relevant authority, by order confer on that body power to make byelaws in relation to that waterway for such purposes as may be specified in the order.

Byelaws made by virtue of an order under this section shall not have effect until confirmed by the Minister, and before applying to the Minister for the confirmation of any byelaws the body concerned shall take such steps as may be specified in the order for securing that persons affected by the byelaws have an opportunity of making representations thereon to the Minister.

If any person contravenes, or fails to comply with, any byelaws made by virtue of an order under this section he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F1level 1 on the standard scale, and if the contravention or failure to comply is continued after the conviction, he shall be guilty of a further offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £5 for each day on which it is so continued.

An order under this section may contain such supplementary provisions as the Minister thinks necessary or expedient.

In this section—

• “qualified body” means any navigation authority as defined in section 135(1) of the M1Water Resources Act 1963, a body mentioned in any of the paragraphs of section 109(2) of this Act F5... and any other body having public or charitable objects;

• “relevant authority”, in relation to any order, F2means F4any local authority or F3water authority (except any such authority which is itself the applicant for the order)F4, except where applying for the order, Scottish Water or any local authorityF2means, except in a case where it is itself the applicant for the order, the National Rivers Authority or any local authority in whose area the waterway in question is wholly or partly situated.

Section 40 of the M2Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1888 (which makes provision as to the byelaws of canal companies) shall not apply to byelaws made by virtue of an order under this section.