Crunch meeting on future of River Clun's wildlife

A final consultation meeting to shape the future of an important river in south Shropshire will take place on June 28.

The River Clun is the only Shropshire river designated as a Special Area of Conservation and is home to some exceptionally rare creatures.

Bosses at the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership say the waterway faces an uncertain future and they need the public to help protect the valuable asset.

Mike Kelly, river valleys officer for the AONB, said the river is subject to pressures and demands which need to be balanced.

He said: "We have been seeking people's views on the key water and catchment management issues with the aim to publish a Clun Catchment

Management Plan to help balance the many pressures that affect this vital resource."

He added: "The Clun is an internationally important river and we want to make sure it stays that way, maintaining its status is crucial not only for wildlife but also for the local economy."

The plan will follow on from work begun late last year on a £120,000 three-year project to help make improvements to the river and preserve stocks of rare mussels.

Thousands of trees will be planted to improve the quality of water in the river which is one of just three in the country home to freshwater pearl mussels.

Mr Kelly added: "As pearl mussels can only thrive in the best quality rivers, the fact we used to have many more mussels in the Clun says something about how good this river used to be.

"These little animals have been in the Clun since the last ice age and should be here in their hundreds of thousands."

The final consultation event is being held at Clun Memorial Hall on June 28 at 7.30pm and everyone is welcome.