Mersey Rivers Trust

13/10/2026

More TLC for the River Alt!

Channel widening and floodplain restoration is officially underway at Mab Lane Community Woodlands as part of the Alt Natural Flood Management Programme—boosting local flood resilience, improving water quality, and creating new wetland habitats for wildlife.

Stay tuned...

07/10/2026

🎉 September Success Stories 🎉

The last month has been a really busy one for us, and we’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together. From weir removal and restoring habitats, to working with local communities and partners, it’s been a month full of progress, collaboration and positive change.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us, volunteered their time or shared our work. 🙌

Here’s to celebrating the successes of the past month — and to all the good work still to come! 💚🌿

If you would like more information about any of our success stories, please visit our website www.merseyrivers.org or email [email protected]

30/09/2026

We would like to give a MASSIVE thank you to all of the volunteers and United Utilities staff who turned up to the Micker Brook RiverBlitz on Friday last week!💪🔎

We are now in the process of collating all of the data, which will contribute towards research being conducted by CaSTCo (Catchment systems thinking cooperatively). It will also give us a nice snapshot of Micker Brook water quality that we can add to our existing data.💧

The data can help guide current efforts on Micker Brook and support evidence-based river restoration proposals. 🤩

We would also like to give special thanks to Paula Pearson at the Environment Agency for sharing her knowledge of citizen science contributions. It was great to hear the Environment Agency's areas of interest and how different types of data can be used - depending on the methods used to collect them.

Thanks again to everyone for a great day and all your hard work for our rivers🎉🌊!

28/09/2026

Did you know, September 27th was World Rivers Day!!💧🐟🌿

To celebrate, here's an update following on from the Weir removal on the River Alt... because we've got a busy Autumn ahead of us!

In Merseyside, this October, our Mab Lane Natural Flood Management project will start, reconnecting the river to its floodplain and reducing downstream flood risk.

The project will:
- Reconnect a 90m section of historic meander to create a floodplain wetland
- Lower additional sections of the floodplain to create wetland areas
- In spring 2027, we will be planting the interventions with wetland plants to naturally filter pollutants, improve water quality and increase oxygen levels in the river...

Down the road, a tributary of the River Alt in Croxteth Park will also receive new features. Hall Brook in Croxteth Park joins the River Alt at the confluence near Coachman's Drive. This historically canalised river will be:

- widened in four areas, increasing the capacity of the channel during high flows by over 1000m3.
- Seeded with meadow grass seed over the riverbank.
- A new hedgerow and woodland area will be planted adjacent to the channel to capture surface water runoff.

Across Merseyside, these features will reduce flood risk, improve water quality and create better habitat for fish and wildlife.

Watch this space for updates...

22/09/2026

Say goodbye to the ONLY major weir on the River Alt, and hello to a newly restored river system 👀 Post-weir removal views...

18/09/2026

And it is finished! Works to remove the largest weir on the Alt were finished this afternoon, and everyone at Mersey Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency are delighted. 🎉

The newly installed pools and riffles have already got to work oxygenating the water and adding much-needed new river dynamics.

Thanks to Funding from Open Rivers - what a brilliant way to end the week!🌊🌱

16/09/2026

Following on from our work starting to remove the largest weir on the River Alt, we have also been busy over in Crewe this week kicking off major restoration work at Macon Meadows and Hungerford Allotments on Valley Brook!

Contractors have been hard at work creating a new chute, removing a section of embankment, and constructing a brand-new backwater.

Why does this matter? These changes play a vital role in reconnecting the river to its natural floodplain, which helps reduce flood risks, creates thriving new habitats for local wildlife, and improves the overall health of the brook. 🌿

A huge thank you to everyone involved and supporting our mission to restore and protect local waterways. Stay tuned for more updates as the project progresses!

15/09/2026

This afternoon, the contractors started carefully breaking through the weir.🔨

We're super excited to see the final result, all made possible by funding from Open Rivers and the Environment Agency. 💧

15/09/2026

14/09/2026

Exciting news - removal works have officially begun on the River Alt's largest weir🎉🔨

The works will take approximately 10 days, with the weir being replaced with oxygenating pools and riffles. Watch this space for updates! 🌊