Congestion on the Farmer's Bridge flight of locks had been a problem since 1793, and had been compounded by the opening of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, which provided the main link between the Birmingham canals and London. Improvements completed in 1829 to the Birmingham Canal's main line and the opening of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal in 1835, which brought traffic into the area from and bound for the north west, meant a solution to the congestion was urgently required, and an Act was obtained in 1839 to authorise the Tame Valley Canal.
A persistent issue on the Farmer's Bridge flight of locks since 1793 was complicated by the opening of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, which connected the Birmingham canals to London. The completion of improvements to the Birmingham Canal in 1829 and the subsequent opening of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal in 1835 brought increased traffic into and out of the area from and bound for the north west, making it essential to find a solution to alleviate congestion, which ultimately led to an Act being passed in 1839 authorizing the construction of the Tame Valley Canal.