British Waterways, often shortened to BW, is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canal network in these areas as well as a number of rivers and docks.

British Waterways was established as the British Waterways Board as a result of the Transport Act 1962 and took control of the inland waterways assets of the British Transport Commission in 1963. Today, British Waterways is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in England and Wales, and by the Scottish Government in Scotland.

British Waterways manages and maintains 2,200 miles (3,541 km) of canals, rivers and docks within the United Kingdom including the buildings, structures and landscapes alongside these waterways. Due to the size of the canal network controlled, half of the United Kingdom population lives within five miles of a canal or river managed by British Waterways. In additional to the watercourses, British Waterways also cares for and owns 2,555 listed structures including 70 Scheduled Ancient Monuments. A further 800 areas have special designation and a further 100 are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).