Wetlands scheme to remove pollutant gets award

The wetlands scheme was developed with the aim of removing pollutants from the River Lugg, Herefordshire Council said

A wetland scheme aimed at removing pollutants from a river has been praised for being innovative as it won an award.

To tackle levels of phosphate in the River Lugg, Herefordshire Council said it developed a series of pools around Luston, near Leominster.

A variety of plants were used which the authority said worked to capture and remove the phosphate from the waterway.

The project was given a Local Government Chronicle award for environmental services.

Judges described the scheme as "innovative thinking that has gone into tackling the issue over a number of years."

Pollutants like phosphate cause accelerated growth of algae and other plant life in a river and, when they decompose, the bacteria feeding off them uses up oxygen which starves other organisms like fish.