Shropshire Star

Future’s bright - but not orange - for Telford stream

A distinctive bright orange stream in Telford will have a whole new reed bed fitted as part of ongoing efforts to clean it up.

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The council’s Lucinda Lycett, Kirsty Brown from the wildlife trust and Kevin McGee from Betts Ecology on the banks of the stream being cleaned up as part of Love Your River Telford

The Serpentine flows out of the old Hadley brickworks. It is rusty red, a legacy from the days when the area was still active as an industrial site.

Work to clean it up as part of the Love Your River Telford initiative last month won the UK River Prize for innovation.

It was even featured on BBC's Countryfile, when presenter Matt Baker travelled to Telford to help with he work.

A close-up of the orange legacy from industry

Kirsty Brown, the Shropshire Wildlife Trust's Rivers Project Officer, said: “Many people will have seen the orange stream on Countryfile as we created a leaky dam. The next stage of the clean-up is to create a reed bed to trap the pollution and prevent it spreading."

It is hoped that by slowing the pace of the stream through dams and reed beds silt from the former brickworks can be caught and taken away from the water course.

The work is being undertaken by Pearce Environment. The company's managing director said: "Reed beds are amazingly good at trapping sediment. We’re using coconut fibre mats pre-planted with common reed.

Signs

"Not only will reeds filter out pollution, they also create great habitat for insects and birds. Sadly this time we’ll be doing the work without any celebrity help."

The reed bed mats have been laid this week and workers will then be monitoring the stream for signs of improvement.

The land has been recently adopted by Betts Ecology and Estates as part of the open greenspace. It and associated woodland will be managed by Betts to enhance biodiversity and for the enjoyment of local residents.

The project is part of the Love Your River Telford initiative – cleaning up brooks and streams of the town, helping wildlife to return to the aquatic environment and to create places for people to enjoy.

Love Your River Telford is funded by the Environment Agency and supported by Telford and Wrekin Council.