Langley Brook

The Langley Brook at Middleton has been identified as an ecologically important site in need of improvements for wildlife. Funding from the Environment Agency will allow us to undertake work to transform the Langley Brook into a Local Wildlife Site, making it a haven for plants and animals.

The Langley Brook

About the Project +

The Langley Brook is a tributary of the river Tame in northwest Warwickshire at Middleton. The brook is ecologically important, with a topology able to support a wide variety of habitats for fish species.

Currently, the Langley Brook has been channelized along much of its length and suffers from issues with flooding and potential pollution events.

The site has the potential to be designated as a Local Wildlife Site, if necessary interventions are made to improve it from its current WFD (Water Framework Directive) ‘Moderate’ classification. With funding from the Environment Agency, we will be carrying out various actions to help achieve this goal.

Project Objectives +

The main aim of the project is to improve the ecological health of the Langley Brook to create an environment in which wildlife are able to thrive. In order to do this, we will be working towards a number of project deliverables:

  • Controlling populations of the invasive species Himalayan balsam to prevent excessive bank erosion and in-stream sediment load caused by balsam dieback in winter.
  • Reprofiling and stabilising the banks of the brook by creating scrapes and installing planted coir matting, to allow flood water to enter the surrounding wet woodland, thereby increasing water storage capacity.
  • Planting up the banks and cleared areas with reeds, rushes and other native perennial plants with strong, extensive root systems, which will help to improve biodiversity, trap sediment, slow down the river at its higher flows, and act as habitats for many animals.
  • Inputting gravels into the river to compensate for the removal of material from the area in the past, which will form beneficial features in the river, improve the channel and create areas suitable for fish spawning.
  • Placing woody debris within the brook which will create flow variation and build of existing features in the river channel.
  • Carry out citizen science water quality sampling to obtain data on the quality of water in the brook, which will help promote experience and understanding of water quality issues within the community and will contribute to informing future work.

Project Outcomes +

By completing these project activities, we will have improved 300m of the brook and 12,000 square metres of wet woodland adjacent to the river. With the right regime, there is also an additional area of brash which has the capacity to become beneficial wet woodland.

These works will also have considerable benefits downstream of the project site, through the Middleton Pool SSSI and into the river Tame.

The improvements to the Langley Brook will also set up a base for subsequent project to further restore this area, as well as other sections of the brook and surrounding wetlands. There is potential in the future to carry out exciting projects which would greatly benefit the local environment.

Get Involved +

Keep an eye out on this page and our social media channels to find out about volunteering opportunities on this project.

Gallery

Click through the pictures below to see some of the work that we have been doing as part of the Langley Brook restoration project.

We will be posting project updates here on our website and via social media. Please feel free to get in touch with any queries via email.