Ludlow weir work begins after £100,000 boost
A £100,000 funding boost has allowed work to finally start on conserving an historic weir in Ludlow – before it crumbles into the River Teme and is lost forever.
The repairs to Castle Weir, considered one of the town's most scenic attractions in the shadow of the castle, have already started and will continue for the next couple of months.
It comes after the Dinham Millennium Green Trust, a volunteer-run charity which owns the weir, netted the funding from a near-equal contribution from both Shropshire Council and The Veolia Environmental Trust.
The plans will focus on 30 metres of the weir – running from the rear of the Mill on the Green – and on the strengthening of the stone structure along the entire length of the weir's toe.
Two years ago expert surveyors found serious stonework damage beneath the water at the weir, commonly known as Dinham Weir.
A figure of £250,000 was quoted to repair it, but the scheme has suffered constant delays and was even under threat of not going ahead at all before today's announcement.
Paul Nicholls, Dinham Millennium Green Trust chairman, said: "We owe huge thanks to these two funding bodies for their help with this phase of the work and for seeing the merit and urgency of our scheme. We still have considerable work to do.
"Plans are in the pipeline for a phase two of the operation, which will hopefully go ahead the same period of next year.
"The weir is very important to Ludlow, not least for its historical and scenic attributes.
"After inspections revealed damaged structure beneath the waterline, we couldn't afford to delay."
Alongside the project, the Environment Agency, with Severn Rivers' Trust, is also planning to create a fish pass through meadowland at the weir's north-western end.
Mr Nicholls said: "This too must be completed quickly in order to accommodate the October/November run of salmon moving upstream to spawn. Low water in 2011 meant that many failed to make the journey."
