Work on country's largest fish pass in Nottinghamshire to start

The agency plans to create a safe passage to allow fish to migrate along the Trent

Work is due to start on an £8.5m project to construct the largest fish pass in England.

The Holme Sluices site, at Colwick Country Park, Nottinghamshire, is being developed by the Environment Agency.

The agency plans to remove all barriers to fish migration along the River Trent "to make it easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds".

The project is due to be completed in 2023.

The agency said there were presently a number of barriers to fish migration within the River Trent catchment.

The agency hopes the passage will make it easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds

These include the Holme Sluices, a major flood management structure that was built in the 1950s.

It spans the full width of the river and helps protect the city from flooding.

The pass will enable fish to swim around the sluices.

Simon Ward, fisheries technical specialist, said: "Our priority is to open up the River Trent for all fish species.

"By installing fish passage, it will become easier for salmon and other fish to reach their spawning and feeding grounds."

He said the agency was working with a number of partners on the wider project for the river, known as the Trent Gateway, and other possible plans could include a visitor centre telling the story of the Trent, its history, ecology and how it has shaped communities along its length.