Stream returned to its historical route

12 September 2025

Alice CunninghamEast of England

News image — The Environment Agency said the project would not have been possible without the co-operation of four landowners in the area

Environment Agency The beck channel that runs through a field near trees. — The Environment Agency said the project would not have been possible without the co-operation of four landowners in the area

Work to return a stream to its historical position in a bid to reconnect habitats has finished.

The work has been carried out on Starston Beck, which flows into the River Waveney near Homersfield, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

The Environment Agency and the Waveney, Lower Yare and Lothingland Internal Drainage Board (IDB) said they had made numerous changes to benefit wildlife.

Will Akast, of the Environment Agency, said habitats that had been "separated for decades" had been reconnected.

In the past, the beck had been modified for drainage and agriculture, resulting in straightened and deep channel sections, and weirs that held up the water level artificially, according to the Environment Agency.

The restoration project has created a 350m (about 380-yard) meandering channel which has returned the beck to its historical position and reconnected the upstream and downstream habitats.

The new channel also increases water availability at times of low flow while providing greater capacity at times of higher flow.

Part of the Glebe Meadow downstream has been reshaped to improve public access to the beck while a large sluice has been removed and replaced with a gravel bed.

Environment Agency A drone image of a newly constructed river channel that meanders through a field. Some brown patches where work has been done are in the field near the channel. — The project has improved habitats for fish, invertebrate populations, dragonflies, water beetles and other animals and insects

"This project shows what can be achieved when organisations work together to restore our rivers to a more natural state," Mr Akast said.

"By removing barriers and creating new channels, we've reconnected habitats that had been separated for decades, giving fish and other wildlife the space they need to thrive."

Paul George, partnership project engineer at Water Management Alliance – a group of seven regional IDBs – said the improvement had "re-established more natural river function, boosted habitat connectivity, and strengthened the river's ability to support wildlife and benefit the local community".

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