VOLUNTEERS have completed the first of a series of improvement works designed to improve wildlife habitats.

The team from the Yorkshire Dales Wildlife Trust have been carrying out the work on Gilling Beck near Richmond.

The beck is one of four watercourses included in the Environment Agency-funded Mid-Swale Tributaries Project. The others are Bedale Beck, Scorton Beck and the River Wiske.

Surveys carried out by volunteers from the trust last year identified priorities for action, including fencing off and strengthening stream banks to reduce erosion.

They also identified the need for tree planting to improve wildlife habitat and reduce the speed of run-off into watercourses during periods of heavy rainfall.

Project officer Caitlin Pearson said: “The type of work we are carrying out has multiple benefits because it improves the water quality of the becks, enhances wildlife habitat and will also help to reduce the speed and intensity of flooding.”

Once next year’s funding is confirmed, the trust plans to carry out similar work on the other becks covered by the project.