United Utilities has announced that work will soon begin around Liggard Brook and Main Drain, Lytham St Annes, as part of a £3 million funded scheme across Lancashire which will have sustainable benefits for wildlife and the local community.

The water company has provided £3 million in funding to the Ribble Rivers Trust, Lune Rivers Trust and Wyre Rivers Trust to enable a number of environmental and river improvement projects across Lancashire.

Simon Holding, Chief Environmental Officer explained:

“At Lytham St Annes we are working in partnership with the Ribble Rivers Trust to invest £190,000 to deliver nature-based solutions. The project will reduce flood risk and bring long term benefits for fish and other freshwater wildlife, helping increase the population and number of species in the water. In addition, the work will improve the brook for neighbouring homes as well as being financially beneficial for landowners”.

The work will follow on from surveys that have already been completed by Ribble Rivers Trust. United Utilities and the Ribble Rivers Trust have been working with key stakeholders, including Fylde Council, to identify solutions to improve water quality including:

• Connecting more properties currently on septic tanks to the wastewater network operated by United Utilities
• Developing a wetland for wildlife
• Repairs to a weir and overflow channel that connects Liggard Brook to Main Drain to improve water flow
• Opportunities to install fencing and plant hedgerow
• Creating buffer strips to protect the watercourse from diffuse water pollution and build-up of silt because of soil erosion.

Chief Executive of Ribble Rivers Trust, Jack Spees commented:

“Liggard Brook was historically a natural stream that flowed from Little Plumpton to St Annes, and into the Ribble Estuary, over the last 200 years this has changed dramatically to support development and agriculture. However, these changes in the face of climate change, bring risks. Working with the community and landowners, using nature-based solutions will reduce these risks and also tackle the biodiversity crisis we are all facing.”

Fylde MP, Mark Menzies added:

“Residents have long been concerned about this situation and the progress announced by United Utilities today is hugely positive. This is the next stage in investment to improve water quality and the aquatic environment on the Fylde coast and in our waterways. My thanks go to United Utilities and the Ribble Rivers Trust for their efforts and my focus now is to see that these promises are delivered on and we get the results that Fylde residents rightly expect.”