Water quality improvement programme nearly finished

A programme to improve the water quality of a river in Birmingham will come to an end next week.

Six months ago, the Environment Agency started an initiative to help restore the River Tame by removing debris at different areas, de-silting and inspecting culverts.

The agency has taken away 1,000 tonnes of gravel at Tameside Drive in Castle Vale and put it into a larger, wider section of the waterway, where it can provide a good habitat for fish and spawn.

Other bits of debris were also removed from the river, including 900 tonnes of silt, radiators, car bonnets, road signs and motorbikes, helping to improve its water quality in the process.

John Outram, operations delivery team leader, said: "We have been working hard to restore it wherever we can so that it behaves as naturally as possible, providing a home for fish and wildlife."

The restoration project is part of the agency's pledge to transform more than 9,500 miles of waterways in England and Wales over the next four years.

Despite this, the Yorkshire Post recently reported that 25 per cent of rivers in the county were polluted.

Posted by Lauren Steadman