A series of innovative river restoration projects in the Clitheroe area are helping to protect local communities from flooding while creating new wildlife habitats and improving river health. Led by Ribble Rivers Trust, the work on Mearley Brook and Worston Brook uses natural flood management (NFM) to hold back rainwater, slow river flows, and restore the natural processes that make rivers more resilient to extreme weather.

At Worston Brook, Ribble Rivers Trust has installed a series of engineered log jams, leaky dams, and brash barriers. These structures mimic the natural effects of fallen wood, creating varied habitats, encouraging the brook to interact with its floodplain more naturally, and promoting sediment distribution.

Just a few hundred metres east, on Mearley Brook, the Trust has reintroduced more leaky dams and large wood to the river, removed artificially lined riverbeds, and created backwaters and secondary channels. The addition of a new rock ramp fish easement and a wetland pond has further enhanced and connected habitats. The result is a more dynamic and diverse mosaic of habitats which will soon become home to a wider range of fish, aquatic plants, and invertebrates.

Each of these new features has its own unique benefits. The log jams, leaky dams and large wood encourage the formation of natural meanders, pools, and riffles which are vital habitats for migratory fish such as Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and European eels. The addition of a new rock ramp to remove the step drop of a man-made weir enables migratory fish to more easily access the upstream section of brook. The wetland pond and backwaters offer calm, safe, and slow-moving areas of water where fish can rest and recover as they travel upstream to their breeding grounds.

Newly planted trees and hedgerows across the sites will provide additional food and shelter for terrestrial wildlife, improving habitat connectivity between the river and surrounding landscape.

Projects like this demonstrate how nature-based solutions can deliver multiple benefits for both people and wildlife. This is particularly important as, across England, an estimated 6.3 million homes and businesses are at high risk of flooding. As climate change drives heavier rainfall and more frequent storms, traditional flood defences alone are not enough. However, natural flood management projects work with the landscape. Features like those created on Mearley Brook and Worston Brook hold water in the landscape for longer, reducing the destructive speed and force of floodwaters.

“These natural approaches are not only more sustainable, but they also create habitat, improve water quality, and strengthen climate resilience,” said Hannah Lederer, Project Manager from Ribble Rivers Trust. “By restoring natural processes, we’re helping to protect wildlife and our local communities from the challenges that arise due to our changing climate.”

Like all of Ribble Rivers Trust’s work, this project has been guided by science. Using tools such as flow monitors, sediment traps, and time-lapse cameras, the Trust’s Data and Evidence Team are contributing to one of the largest collections of natural flood management data in the country. This data not only informs water management locally but also contributes to a national database, helping to shape similar projects across the UK.

This project monitoring will continue over the coming months, helping to record how these projects have encouraged natural river behaviour, created new habitats, and reduced the risk of flooding.

Ribble Rivers Trust hopes that the success of these projects will inspire similar work elsewhere. With the right evidence, partnerships, and community support, nature-based solutions can become a cornerstone of flood resilience across the country. By reconnecting rivers with their floodplains, improving soil and water quality, and strengthening biodiversity, these projects offer hope for the Ribble Valley and beyond.

These projects have been made possible thanks to funding from the Environment Agency’s Natural Flood Management programme and the Species Survival Fund, which is administered by the Heritage Lottery Fund on behalf of Defra.