A 'CARPET' OF 80 tonnes of duckweed was removed from Stourport Basin.
With Canal & River Trust stating that five grab lorries were needed to remove it.
Fluorescent green
The basin at the end of the Stourport Canal was turned fluorescent green by the tiny, free-floating aquatic plant, and earlier in July it was reported a dog had drowned in the canal after it went into the water. Picture by Canal & River Trust.
Charles Hughes from the trust told Stourport Basin had one of the worst incidents of duckweed growth ever seen in the West Midlands, with the entire canal and nearby locations experiencing rapid widespread growth, adding:
"We've been spending a lot of money and time trying to deal with this—it was a five day job which cost us £12,500.
"Duckweed is very difficult to manually remove, because it's very small plants, but it can get quite heavy as well.
"Because they multiply and grow so quickly, they almost form these mats over the surface and often it can be quite deceptive, especially for people who come into an area they are not familiar with. You won't see any open water so it presents a health and safety risk."
Weed harvester boat
The task to remove the plant involved using a weed harvester boat, developed to specifically remove water plants.
As the region experiences hotter and drier weather, it creates the perfect environment for the aquatic plant to grow quickly and invasively.