THE Canal and River Trust has spent £140,000 dredging the River Soar in Leicester, removing more than 1200 tonnes of silt as part of works to make it easier for boaters and encourage wildlife.
The work was carried out on a 500-metre section of the river at Limekiln Lock, near Abbey Park, as well as at Freemans Meadow Lock, near the King Power Stadium.
Richard Bennett, nature recovery manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Dredging is a vital part of the regular cycle of maintenance we are constantly doing to keep our rivers and canals open and available for the benefit of people and nature.
“We know from speaking to boaters that these sections of the River Soar are a priority, so we’re really pleased to be able to improve things for them and make a visit to Leicester that bit more appealing.
“Dredging also brings important benefits for nature and we hope that this project, on top of the great work being done by our volunteers and partners to tackle the problem of litter, will mean that the river is cleaner, greener and more welcoming to local wildlife.”
Nationwide the charity spends millions of pounds a year dredging tens of thousands of tonnes of sediment.
As well as making life easier for boaters the works will also bring environmental benefits, removing litter and harmful plastics from the water and improving conditions for wildlife. The section of canal around Limekiln Lock is particularly prone to litter in the water, with items being washed in from the adjacent Willow Brook. Dredging removed a lot of the historic litter and, with the trust’s volunteers helping to clear rubbish regularly and Leicester City Council and Trent Rivers Trust working to reduce litter in Willow Brook, it’s hoped that there will be a big reduction in items found in the river.
