The Environment Agency (EA) with partnership funding from WTT gave mother nature a helping hand by planting water weed in the River Coln on 6th May. The EA was reintroducing water-crowfoot in a stretch near Kempsford to provide much needed habitat for wildlife.

Three EA staff gathered weed from a stretch upstream which has very good ranunculus growth, and planted 100 stands over approximately 200m of the Coln (within a 1 mile stretch), split equally between the Cotswold Fly-Fisher's water, and that of a private syndicate downstream.

Early indications are that the plantings took well, although only time will tell if any roots established themselves.  The EA intend to undertake more replanting depending on more thorough assessment of results.

(C. Wiltshire & Gloucester Standard)