Thanks to some hard work from volunteers from the village and the Coventry Godiva Angling Club over a couple of days in May and June, much of the River Leam in the village has been cleared of blockages created by collapsing willows. The ‘crack willow’ is so named because of its brittle nature and it propagates by the branches splitting from the trunk and developing a new set of roots when it hits the river—hence the difficulty of dragging these sections from the river bed.
Co-ordination by Miranda and Ulli greatly eased the process. There was some brave work done by those who immersed themselves in the river as well as those who operated the chain saws. The rest of us just dragged and chopped!
Many thanks also to the land owners for their co-operation and support.
Another day’s work to the west of the bridge and the whole of the river up to the confluence with the Itchen will have been cleared
Perhaps it is overstating the case to imply that by clearing the river of fallen trees that Marton will no longer experience flooding, but the impact of the work on the flow of the river means that the watercourse is now working much more efficiently. Certainly the river’s capacity to dispose of floodwater has been enhanced.