SALMON could be swimming through Burnley town centre for the first time in around 150 years if an ambitious river regeneration scheme is successful.

Not since early Victorian times, when the waters began to be muddied by sewage and industrial pollution, have salmon been spotted in the Rivers Brun and Calder, which unite near the present-day Active Way.

But environmentalists at the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust believe their new £1million Urban River Enhancement Scheme (URES) could turn the clock back to the days when salmon and sea trout negotiated the historic waterways.

Plans for an underwater pass, lodged with Burnley Council, will help fish travel from the Brun upstream to the Calder but supporters are first awaiting the outcome of a Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

Jack Spees, the trust’s director, said: “Part of the scheme will actually see us resdesign part of the rivers.

“One of the weirs in Burnley, though it has been built on and built on, dates back to 1296.”

Only the improved quality of the Brun and Calder’s waters, in recent years, has allowed the project to even be considered though.

Paul Simmons, of the Environment Agency, said: “The water quality of the River Calder has improved considerably in the last decade thanks to improvements made to waste water treatment works and combined sewage overflows stretching from Hyndburn all the way to Colne.

“We have also worked with the owners of the former Deerplay colliery near Black Clough to ensure mine water is treated correctly, and the Highways Agency has installed interceptors along the M65 to capture polluted ‘run-off’ from the road.

“The agency has also helped to improve Padiham Weir to allow fish to move up the Calder.”

Before focusing on Burnley, the Ribble trust has been involved with ensuring fish enjoyed a better passage along the Calder and its tributaries through Padiham, Barrowford and Brierfield.

The trust was established in order to restore and protect the river to make certain that future generations can enjoy the beauty of its wildlife and fauna.