A PROJECT has been launched to improve the water quality of a stream which runs into a popular woodland.

Several bodies have teamed up to improve the quality of Castle Eden Burn, which runs through the well-used Castle Eden Dene, a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, and out to the coast.

However, the water quality in the stream is poor and the stream has been designated by the Environment Agency as having poor ecological value.

The Caste Eden Catchment Improvement project aims to find out why the water quality is poor and draw up measures to improve it.

The Wear Rivers Trust is working with businesses on Peterlee Industrial Estate businesses to address problems in the Wapping Burn, one of the main tributaries of the Castle Eden Burn.

Surface water from the estate runs into Wapping Burn, which suffers from flooding and poor water quality and a decline in local wildlife.

The Trust will also be training volunteers to monitor water quality in the future.

Groundwork North East and Cumbria are focusing on education work, raising awareness of the problem with community groups and local schools.

Niall Benson from Durham Heritage Coast said “A crisp packet or a plastic bottle dropped locally will be blown to the low spots, inevitably a stream and flow with that stream down through the dene and onto our beaches.

“We all benefit from having healthy water, our natural environment is just the same.

“Joining up the work of several agencies will produce lasting results; I am really looking forward to the next twelve months to see the real difference we can all make locally.”