Shropshire Star

More than 60 fish rescued from rising river

More than 60 trout were rescued when river levels became too high.

Published
Last updated
One of the trout that was rescued from the River Redlake. Picture: Dave Throup

The fish were rescued at River Redlake, a tributary of the River Clun near Leintwardine.

When levels get too high, the fish are in danger of dying or becoming badly injured when getting caught in main flows and being dashed against rocks and sunken timber.

The trout were released safely further downstream. The rivers hit their highest levels during the major flooding in February.

Local anglers will be pleased to see the rescue operation was a success as they return to the waters, having missed already missed out on a large chunk of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The season traditionally starts on March 15 running through until October, but the activity was banned for two months of lockdown before restrictions were eased.

Dave Throup, regional Environment Agency manager, said: "More fish rescues today. This is on the River Redlake, a tributary of the Clun near Leintwardine. More than 60 lovely trout rescued and released further downstream.

"These rivers were at highest recorded levels in February."