Balsam bashers wage war on invasive species

Thousands of invasive Himalayan balsam plants were removed from a site in Lancashire when volunteers from United Utilities got to work balsam bashing.

A team of 16 volunteers from the United Utilities and its delivery partners joined forces with Ribble Rivers Trust to clear a patch of land in Hoscar, Ormskirk, that had become overwhelmed with the balsam.

Steve Czapski, a Delivery Manager at United Utilities explained: “Our volunteers are working on projects to upgrade the wastewater treatment works in Skelmersdale and Wigan - each of these will play a role in improving water quality in local watercourses. They were looking to support activity that will also have a positive impact on the river environment in the county.

“Himalayan balsam spreads very quickly near rivers and has a negative impact on water quality by contributing to riverbank erosion and disrupting the natural ecosystem along riverbanks.”

In just one day, the team cleared an area around 500m squared – about the size of two doubles tennis courts.

Steve added: “While the weather could have been better, it was worth it to see the difference we had made to the local area working as a team alongside the Ribble Rivers Trust volunteers.”

The session was arranged by Ribble Rivers Trust as part of a series of invasive species events.

Mike Flaherty, Conservation and Volunteering Officer at Ribble Rivers trust added: "Himalayan Balsam is a non-native invasive plant introduced by the Victorians in the early 1800's. Controlling balsam helps to restore habitats by preventing the plant from outcompeting our native vegetation it reduces the risk of flooding by allowing native, deep rooting plants to stabilize riverbanks, and it enhances biodiversity by preventing it spreading further.

Thank you to United Utilities and other volunteers for helping us tackle this invasive species in Hoscar."

The Ribble Rivers Trust is actively working to address the impacts of Himalayan balsam and other threats to salmon populations in the Ribble catchment through their "Room for Rivers: River Revival" program. This program focuses on initiatives like improving fish passage, restoring natural river habitats, and creating wetlands to filter pollutants and trap sediment.