Posted on October 7, 2024
Boaters will benefit from dredging to keep the River Soar in Leicester navigable, supporting local communities and wildlife.
A spokesperson for Canals and Rivers said:
“We have enlisted the help of specialist contractors to remove over 1,100 tonnes of silt from the river in the city over the next four weeks.
“The works, starting this week, are being 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.
“We have raised £140,000 In order to carry out the works, which will improve navigation for boaters, making a visit to Leicester more attractive and providing a welcome boost to local businesses. Once the silt has been removed it will be taken to a specialist waste facility for disposal.
“Dredging is just one aspect of our vital work to keep the nation’s historic waterway network open, ensuring that boats can continue to navigate as they have for hundreds of years. Nationwide the charity spends £millions per 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 will remove a lot of the historic litter and, with our 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.
Richard Bennett, our nature recovery manager, explains: “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.”
