The Yorkshire Floating Pennywort Forum

The Yorkshire Floating Pennywort Forum was formed in 2011 in response to an increasing number of reports of this highly invasive plant species on a number of watercourses in Yorkshire.

The majority of these reports came from members of the Calder & Colne Rivers Trust and the Don Catchment Rivers Trusts, with other reports coming from worried anglers. As a result, the Forum was formed, with the ultimate goal of eliminating floating pennywort from all the rivers and canals of Yorkshire. The current members of the Forum include:

• The Environment Agency;
• The Canal & Rivers Trust (CRT);
• The Calder & Colne Rivers Trust (CCRT);
• The Don Catchment Rivers Trust (DCRT),
• Yorkshire Water;
• River Stewardship Company (RSC).

The majority of treatment work is undertaken by the Environment Agency and CRT. They work together closely to ensure that a comprehensive treatment programme is in place that covers all main rivers and navigations. The Environment Agency use RSC to treat all their sections and CRT use Fountains, their respective framework contractors.

Neither of these organisations are under any legal obligation to remove or treat floating pennywort. However, they have discretion to remove it under their statutory powers. They use these powers because both organisations are committed to the elimination of this invasive plant from the rivers and canals of Yorkshire.

1. Treatment on the Rivers Calder, Don and Aire

The Environment Agency have been contracting the River Stewardship Company (RSC) to carry out a headwaters-down treatment programme on the River Calder, River Don and River Aire since 2018:

Overall treatment has been a great success, with a significant reduction in FP compared to when the programme began. In summary there has been a marked decrease in the number of incidences on the Calder and Don (down 35%). In terms of FP abundance, the decrease has been even more marked.  A rough estimate suggests that the volume of FP has now decreased 75-80% since treatment began.

Before and After photos at River Don Wakefield 2018/19

2. Canals and Cuts – all catchments

The Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT) continue to treat FP on their agreed sections (the canals and cuts) using their framework contractor Fountains.

Before and after photos at Crimpsall Sluice 2018/19