WORK is nearing completion on a £3million scheme to clean up a polluted waterway between Bacup and Todmorden.

Iron deposits, caused by the former Clough Foot colliery, have been a longtime problem for Midgelen Brook, on moorland between the two towns.

And the same problem often causes the River Calder, running through Todmorden, to run orange, as it becomes contaminated with mine water.

Contractors J N Bentley are putting the finishing touches to a wide-ranging engineering project which will treat the iron discharges and create environmental benefits for the nearby watercourses.

Pollution has been recorded up to eight-and-a-half kilometres away from the former mine.

Under the Coal Authority scheme, the water will be filtered in two lagoons, with oxygen and caustic soda injected to rebalance the flow’s pH level.

Once this has been completed the water is then discharged into a reed bed, to remove finer particles of iron, before being allowed back into the brook.