Final preparations are underway for the 2016 University Boat Race this weekend, with our Marine Services team clearing the four-and-a-quarter mile course from Putney to Mortlake.

The University Boat Race is the most popular sporting event on the river, drawing more than 250,000 people to the banks of the Thames every year, while another 15 million watch the spectacle on TV. The Marine Services crews spend the week before the race scouring the course for obstructions, so that competitors can race unimpeded.

All kinds of wood are uncovered, from railway sleepers to tree trunks. Other ‘regular’ finds include traffic cones and bikes.

On race day, after one last check for floating debris, we close the river to navigation ready for the competition. Sean Bowden, chief coach Oxford University Boat Club said: “It’s a huge day for the boat club, and the PLA is behind the scenes managing the river to make sure it’s safe on race day and throughout the year as our team trains on the tidal Thames.”

The Marine Services team has a key role at the very start of the race, with employees holding the sterns of the Oxford and Cambridge racing eights steady for the starting gun. The map below shows where our boats are on the big day: