Duckweed takes over Birmingham canals

THE warm weather has turned Gas Street Basin and its surrounding waterways bright green.

Caused by the proliferation of duckweed, Janet Friend reports.

Plough through the mass

Boats are having to plough through the mass of the weed that with the high temperatures and it being fed by rainfall are causing it to multiply at an alarming rate.

Kayakers too are finding it very hard going attempting to get through pea soup-like waters with some waterways completely covered as the picture by Emma Trimble shows.

It is harmless in small amounts but volumes of duckweed, like now, are preventing oxygen from entering the water and suffocating affecting its wildlife.

Canal & River Trust told of the challenges posed by duckweed, that is exacerbated by climate change and nutrient run-off from intense rainfall, with a spokesman adding:

Multiplies at phenomenal rate

"Unfortunately, it multiplies in the summer at a phenomenal growth rate and is incredibly difficult to manage and impossible to remove from the waterways.

"This isn't just a problem for the local canals, this is a challenge across the country."

The Royal Horticultural Society advises non-chemical controls as the first line of defence, but does not state what.