Will salmon and trout return to Wye tributary?

An important River Wye tributary which once was an important spawning ground for salmon and trout is set to be restored to its former glories.

The Wellington Brook, which flows into the River Lugg near the Herefordshire village of Marden, has suffered over the past few decades from the dredging of gravels to improve land drainage, which has drastically reduced the waterway’s ability to support fish species and other wildlife.

Now a joint endeavour between quarrying company Tarmac and the Wye and Usk Foundation will begin to restore the brook to its more natural state. Tarmac will supply machinery and gravel with WUF contributing other materials and environmental expertise.

The work will be part of WUF’s successful Lugg and River Arrow (LARA) Project, which is restoring biodiversity - species richness and variety - in rivers within 10 miles of Leominster.

Focussing on fish, the 3-year project is funded by the SITA Trust’s Enriching Nature Programme and is due to be completed this year. So far 11km of river habitat have been restored and two fish passes have been built.

Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, Director of WUF said: “Work on this lower Lugg tributary offers the chance to re-create salmon and trout spawning sites at an important point in the Wye catchment.”