The River Hogsmill is a tributary of the River Thames, rising from a chalk spring in Ewell then flowing for over six miles through suburban Surrey, before emptying into the Thames at Kingston and the first stage of the habitat improvement work, conducted under the guidance of Environment Agency Fishery Officer Dave Bartlett, was to clear a 400m stretch of in-river and bankside rubbish and cut back areas of overhanging vegetation which has removed light from the river, stopping marginal plant growth.
Timing of the clearance was important; it had to be undertaken before the trees started to leaf, ahead of the nesting season and before any potential gravel spawning areas would be utilised.
Along with an old sofa volunteers also removed car tyres, a shopping trolley (there is always one…), various metal objects, wood, a broken push chair, traffic cones and some ten bags of rubbish.
To see the superb work done by the TAC team on the River Thames and its tributaries and to get involved check out the TAC website HERE
Images provided courtesy of TAC
