£300,000 for Rossendale river clean-up (From Lancashire Telegraph)

£300,000 for Rossendale river clean-up

11:00am Tuesday 14th August 2012 in Rossendale By Chris Adams

RIVER conservationists in Rossendale and Ramsbottom have won more than £300,000 to rid a brook of the effects of more than 200 years of industry.

The Irwell Rivers Trust has been awarded £304,000 through an initiative which was launched by the Depar-tment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The Catchment Restoration Fund, which is being administered by the Environment Agency, will be providing £28 million for schemes across England in the next three years.

Volunteers at the Trust will begin work to restore Kirklees Brook later this year.

Currently the brook fails Water Framework Directive standards because it has been so heavily hit by industry.

A number of paper mills, a print works and a bleach works dating back to the late 18th century have affected the river’s natural flow. Matthew Schofield, director of the Trust, said the money will be used to partially remove a number of weirs and install fish passeges.

He said: “We’ve got three years to deliver the project and hopefully the outcome will see an increase in fish stocks and wildlife.

“The application process was very difficult.

“It’s a very competitive area and the scheme was only launched this year.

“We had just two weeks to bid and everyone is delighted.

“Obviously there are also some things that we can’t change.

“But we’ll do as much as possible to return it to its original glory. There is a great historical attachment to the brook and we have to be mindful of that.”

The source of the River Irwell lies at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, 1.5 miles north of Bacup. Kirklees Brook sits between Summerseat and Tottington near Ramsbottom.

Mr Schofield said the Trust also has plans to tackle a damaged weir in Waterfoot and to shore up a river bank near the A56.

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