Natural stretch on the whole but the mill race brings some artificialness to the channel and the presence of a weir is also a possible barrier to fish. The channel is also very deep in places, probably the result of dredging.
Algal blooms are developing, so high nutrients in the water are obviously a problem here.
The area (land use)
The dominant land use for this stretch of river is pasture and scrub.
No livestock were recorded.
Channel characteristics
The river channel consists of mainly silt, and riffles are present.
At the time of recording the flow of water was medium and the channel was 2-5m wide and 0.5-1m / 1-2m in depth.
For most of this stretch the channel profile is steep.
Bankside trees were occasional, marginal plants and in-channel plants are rare. Woody debris was noted to be occasional.
Engineering
The channel has been straightened and man-made enhancements are present along this stretch of river.
Field drains were recorded as absent and barriers / culverts are present.
Condition
Areas of trampling / poaching were present and areas of erosion were absent at the time of the survey.
Wildlife
Signs of mink were seen during the survey.
Addition Information
There are strips of vegetation along the banks (buffer strips) but in places these are narrow and not of good quality.
There are some houses along the banks downstream.
