Businesses come together to tackle environmental issues

Businesses across Peterlee’s industrial estates are being asked to support the clean up of the Wapping Burn.

Regional organisation Wear Rivers Trust (WRT) is now working with businesses, volunteers and partners to improve the stretch of water, which flows from the North West to South West industrial estates.

WRT is engaging with businesses across the East Durham Business Network to raise awareness of their potential impact on the water quality of the three tributaries that feed into Castle Eden Dene.

Paul Atkinson from WRT said: “We are developing opportunities for volunteering through businesses corporate responsibility activities. There are lots of activities we need to do like litter picks, tree thinning, riverbank repairs, stream enhancements and removal of invasive plant species. We are also helping reduce business environmental impact, particularly trade discharges, misconnections and plastic pollution.

“Together we’ll create a better quality wildlife-friendly environment for businesses and their employees. We’ll improve business awareness of opportunities for restoring nature and reducing flood risk too. This project will see WRT working alongside Durham Wildlife Trust (DWT) and their Naturally Native Project (NNP) with the long term aim of helping water voles recolonise the area.

We’re returning to continue the upper channel restoration works we began in 2018 along the whole length of Wapping Burn. We’re also designing wetland/water retention features to intercept road run-off and reduce flood risk to local properties.

“We need volunteers to get their feet wet and detect river improvements, by helping with riverfly monitoring across all three tributaries.”

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