River restoration works have been completed in north Norfolk in an effort to improve aquatic habitats and lessen the need for maintenance.
The Norfolk Rivers Internal Drainage Board (IDB), carried out the work on a 700m section of the River Mermaid at Brampton, near Aylsham, in partnership with the Environment Agency.
The two-week project, part-funded via the Water Framework Directive, saw woody features from locally-felled trees built within the course of the river, creating a 'more dynamic and varied channel' by meandering the water flow.
Gravel was added to the stream to raise the bed level in previously over-deepened parts and allow a more natural movement of sediment, in an attempt to reduce maintenance work and improve habitats for plants, invertebrates and fish – particularly the brown trout.
The stretch of river, maintained by the IDB, is next to the public footpath between Aylsham Road and Brampton Hall and the organisation hopes the resulting improvements in wildlife will improve the walk for visitors to the Bure Valley.
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