People who live or work close to the historic Dove Cliff Weir at Egginton are being invited to find out more about the Environment Agency’s plans to remove the weir.

The scheme, planned to start next summer, will improve biodiversity on the River Dove, create better connectivity with the River Trent downstream and along the entire Dove catchment and will assist fish as they migrate both in and out of the Dove.

The weir is currently a major barrier to fish as they enter the river Dove and removing it will allow many more fish to move upstream with greater ease, opening up over 30 miles of migratory habitat for fish and other species.

Local people are being invited to a drop-in event at the Dovecliff Hall Hotel, on Thursday, 29 November between 2pm and 7pm, to speak to Environment Agency staff in order to find out more about the scheme and give their feedback.

Chris Grzesiok, Fisheries Technical Specialist from the Environment Agency said:

Removing Dove Cliff Weir will help fish to be able to move freely in the River Dove, making it far easier for fish to reach their spawning grounds. This will be a fantastic benefit to the chub, barbel and dace living in the river, and will be a great step forward for the population of Atlantic salmon which is slowly recovering in the river too.

Dove Cliff Weir greatly affects the character of the river both above and below it; once removed the river will restore itself to a more natural environment, providing a wide range of habitats for the wildlife that depends on healthy rivers to thrive.