By Sue Crawford

Last updated at 11:57, Saturday, 13 October 2012

A river which runs through parts of Carlisle has been named as a top spot for trout fishing.

The River Petteril has been cleaned up

The Petteril, which meanders its way through the Eden Valley into the city through Harraby, was once renowned for its trout fishing

Known locally as the “Jewel in Eden’s crown” it had a reputation for its trout stocks.

However deteriorating water quality brought a decline in its fish population leading the Environment Agency into declaring its standard as “poor”.

Now after a major initiative involving the Environment Agency and Eden Rivers Trust the Petteril has been dramatically cleaned up. The river has improved to such an extent that it has scooped a national prize at an awards ceremony in London hosted by the Wild Trout Trust. The project was cited as a example of teamwork to benefit the community – and fish populations.

During the project, pollution from farms, roads, inadequate sewage systems and domestic septic tanks was identified as a major problem.

Eden Rivers Trust worked with farmers around the Petteril to address some of these issues.

Examples of the work undertaken include improving drainage and guttering around farm yards and buildings, and putting roofs over manure stores and farm yards.

Around three miles of river bank was fenced to prevent farm animals from reaching the river and more than 2,000 trees were planted along the Petteril to stabilise the banks and allow more wildlife to feed and breed in the river.

Oliver Southgate, Environment Agency Project Manager, said: “Winning awards for our project work is always great. Especially as this project is a good example of how we can deliver more for the environment by working better with our partners.”

Simon Johnson, Director of Eden Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted to have received this award, which recognises the achievements and benefits of this collaborative way of working.”

First published at 10:11, Saturday, 13 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk