Improved water quality sees return of fish to rivers in Yorkshire

The boost in water quality for many rivers in Yorkshire has resulted in the return of many fish to the area.

Sheffield City Council, Kirklees Council, Yorkshire Water, British Waterways, the Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency have spent the last 12 months attempting to improve the region's waterways.

They have built ten new fish passes to help the recovery of different species and this has resulted in salmon, sea trout and eel returning to rivers in the area.

Neil Trudgill, Environment Agency project manager, said surveys have shown an improvement in water quality.

He stated: "We are starting to see the return of some species that have not been in our rivers for over 100 years."

Mr Trudgill added that 2011 will be spent looking at further ways the organisations can improve the water quality in the county.

This will come as good news to the area after the Yorkshire Post used data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act to report that 25 per cent of Yorkshire's waterways suffer from problems of pollution.

Posted by Lauren Steadman