Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden, is delighted that after securing £20,000 of funding, the habitat improvement project on Eridge Stream has been completed.
The Eridge Stream, which is a major tributary of the River Medway, is managed and fished by two local angling clubs, Crowborough & District Angling Association and Dorset Arms Angling Club. The presence of several significant water level control structures located both on the main river Medway and the Eridge Stream, as well as a combination of land use issues, in-channel structures and bank erosion, were obstructing access restricting fish communities from reaching their full potential.
As Vice-President of the Dorset Arms Angling Club, Nus has raised her concerns and held talks with the Environment Agency regarding opportunities to improve habitat quality. As a result, the Environment Agency awarded a grant of £20,000 to support the project earlier this year.
One hundred tonnes of High Weald iron stone gravel were introduced to the stream to form four fish spawning sites, three downstream of Hendal Bridge and one upstream, providing a valuable refuge habitat for fish.
Nus Ghani said: “Looking after our environment is one of the most important matters in Wealden. As the Vice President of the Dorset Arms Angling Club, I am pleased that my campaigning to secure improvements to the Eridge Stream has had an impact and that the Environment Agency has made this funding available. I am delighted that work to enhance spawning opportunities for fish is complete and the fish population in the stream will begin to grow. The habitat improvement project on Eridge Stream will be of great benefit not only to the members of the two clubs, but also to the local environment as a whole and I look forward to visiting the site to see the improvement work when the Covid restrictions ease.”
Photos above: Environment Agency South East, available here.
