Gloucester Docks: The second phase of dredging wraps up

The second phase of the Canal & River Trust’s dredging programme at Gloucester Docks has been completed, Gloucester News Centre said.

A total of 9,000m3 of silt, equivalent to 3.6 Olympic swimming pools, has been removed in the latest phase of the £1 million programme that began last November.

Throughout the programme, the Trust has been closely monitoring environmental conditions to prevent harm to the aquatic life in the Docks.

With the programme due to come to an end, and with the current hot weather, the dredging has now ceased, as a rise in water temperature can reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen which is important for fish welfare, and this can be exacerbated by dredging stirring up sediment.

Further dredging is set to begin in September.