Restoration Project Brings New Life to South Tyne
A project to restore a large section of a tributary of the River Tyne near Haltwhistle has been successfully completed.
The work to reconnect Tipalt Burn to its floodplain while restoring natural habitat was led by Tyne Rivers Trust in partnership with Forestry England, the Environment Agency and Northumbrian Water.
The watercourse had been historically straightened and dredged to increase productivity of the surrounding land. Over the years these modifications have depleted water quality and led to the loss of vital habitat for aquatic species including salmon and trout, as well as resulting in the loss of wetland habitat for rare and protected species of breeding waders such as curlew. Furthermore, these changes increased the risk of flooding to downstream communities.
Jack Bloomer, chief scientist and technical director, Tyne Rivers Trust said “We’ve worked with nature to restore the Tipalt Burn to how it used to be. We have put trees in and reconnected old channels to reconnect the river to its floodplain as well as constructing ponds and wetlands. This will mean water will flow out of the site much more slowly reducing flood risk downstream and improving water quality.
“The restoration of natural features will have major benefits for aquatic species including Atlantic salmon and brown trout as well as an array of other species that rely on these waters both in the river and on the wetlands.”
Giles Drake-Brockman, planning and environment manager, Forestry England said, “We are delighted that this demonstration of partnership working has been so successful here. As Kielder Forest approaches its hundredth anniversary, this really highlights how the forest has matured into such an important biodiversity resource in addition to its role in timber and public access.”
Work on the £120k project started in 2023 and was completed in November 2024. It was jointly funded by the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) and Northumbrian Water’s South Tyne Holistic Water Management fund.
Mel George, from the Environment Agency’s Environment Programme team, said: “This is a great example of partners coming together to share resources and expertise to deliver a project with multiple benefits for the water environment.
“By allowing the river to follow its original pathway there will be more water held in the catchment and a more diverse river channel to support important water dependent habitats and species, bringing a boost to ecology and biodiversity.”
Susan Mackirdy, catchment team leader, Northumbrian Water said “We were delighted to be able to support this project as part of our five year South Tyne Holistic Water Management project. River restoration schemes like these have great benefits for water quality and wildlife. The water quality improvements translate into savings for our customers because good quality water needs less treatment to bring it to drinking water standard, and that means it costs less to treat water before we send it to our customers.”
