A stretch of the River Avon in Wiltshire has been rejuvenated to attract more wildlife and increase fish populations.
Work started near the village of East Chisenbury, near Pewsey, in Wiltshire to transform the section of river to encourage its chalk stream habitat - home to wildlife such as trout, otters and water voles, species which have been in decline in recent years.
It involved re-energising the river channel and providing new large ponds to offer improved amphibian and reptile habitat.
During the four week project, Cain Bioengineering on behalf of the Environment Agency carried out work to enhance the river which is thought to have been dredged during the 1960s making it too wide and slow flowing for wildlife to flourish and fish populations to grow.
Wessex Chalk Streams project officer Ruth Clarricoates coordinated work to create new habitats and narrow the river to speed up flow by installing hurdles in the channel and improve the gravel bed to encourage salmon to spawn.
Clarricoates said that through careful management and working closely with landowners the river would be enhanced.
She added: “By narrowing the river, digging adjacent ponds and creating marginal wetland we will improve the diversity of habitat. Kingfishers can nest, water voles can burrow, brown trout can spawn and a greater variety of plants can spread their roots.
"Chalk streams like this are globally rare and by re-energising the river we hope to recreate the unique habitat that had been lost.”
The Wessex Chalk Streams Project is a partnership between the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Wessex Water and Wiltshire Fishery Association.
Dave Jones, an environmental scientist for Wessex Water, which has helped fund the Wessex Chalk Streams Project as part of its Biodiversity Action Plan, said: “This has been an extremely worthwhile project that will improve opportunities for both wildlife and angling.
“The River Avon is extremely important as it has rare habitats and species making it important at a European and international level.
“Wessex Water realises the threat chalk streams are under so was delighted to get involved with this project through our partners programme that has restored wetland habitats and increased biodiversity.”
Work on the 600m stretch of the River Avon at east Chisenbury was completed in October. The work is part of a programme of restoration by the Environment Agency which will implement a new strategy for restoring the River Avon due to be published shortly.
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