Clean water depends on good land management

Waters such as Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District, one of Europe’s top wildlife sites, suffer from pollution. This includes fine sediments from soil erosion, both from the high fells as a result of intensive grazing and on lower ground from slurry and silage. A Catchment Adviser is helping farmers to reduce pollution through one-to-one advice, training sessions to share best practice and grants to reward good environmental stewardship. This is a critical part of an ambitious 20-year partnership programme to restore Bassenthwaite Lake involving the National Trust, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Lake District National Park Authority, the Forestry Commission and United Utilities.