WORK is set to begin on a landmark dredging project to help transform East Yorkshire’s Pocklington Canal to benefit nature.

This is the first time in more than a century that two sections, totalling just under a mile, of the nine-mile canal are being dredged.

The £152,000 project aims to finish just before Christmas and is led by the Canal and River Trust, the charity that cares for Pocklington Canal.

A special amphibious digger will remove approximately 8,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich silt that will be re-distributed to a nearby arable farm.

By clearing silt and reeds from the centre of the canal to create an open channel, the charity will ensure that rare aquatic plants and wildlife living on and along the canal continue to thrive.

Phillippa Baron, ecologist for the Trust, said: “Sometimes it’s necessary to step in and give nature a helping hand and restore the equilibrium on our waterways. Dredging is a carefully planned and monitored process, involving our teams of engineers, environmental scientists and heritage advisors to ensure we protect the heritage of the site and create an environment where rare aquatic plants, insects and birds can flourish.

She added: “The canal will be in much better shape once the dredging has been completed.”

Unlike many of the Trust’s other dredging projects, which primarily help to keep the network of canals open to boats, the work on Pocklington Canal is taking place in the non-navigable upper reaches of the canal. The main focus is to help wildlife, while also contributing to the overall vision to make more of the canal navigable to canoeists and boaters.

The Trust says Pocklington Canal, which celebrates its bicentenary next year, is one of the UK’s best canals for wildlife, with the majority of its length protected through three Site(s) of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), due to the variety of important aquatic plants that live below and above the water surface.

The Pocklington Canal dredging works is funded through the Trust’s Gem in the Landscape project - a three-year programme of activity supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.