Essex Rivers Hub

A heavily urbanised section of river flowing from the A133/A134 junction to the west of Colchester, through the town to the start of the Colne estuary downstream.

The area (land use)

The dominant land use for this stretch of river is suburban/urban.

No livestock were recorded.

Channel characteristics

The river channel consists of mainly silt, and riffles are absent.

At the time of recording the flow of water was sluggish and the channel was 2-5m wide and >2m in depth.

For most of this stretch the channel profile is steep.

Bankside trees were rare, marginal plants and in-channel plants are dominant. Woody debris was noted to be rare.

Engineering

The channel has been straightened and man-made enhancements are absent along this stretch of river.

Field drains were recorded as present and barriers / culverts are present.

Condition

Areas of trampling / poaching were present and areas of erosion were present at the time of the survey.

Wildlife

None seen during the survey

Additional comments

A heavily modified section of channel with a number of artificial structures. In places, the urban surfaces give way to grassland along the banksides, but this is amenity grassland with little buffering from the channel. An area of reedbed was noted along this stretch, but rubbish and debris in the channel was a problem and erosion was present in places.