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Luxury home for Bugsworth water voles

8th Dec 2003

A colony of water voles is ready to move into new luxury homes at Bugsworth Basin, on the Peak Forest Canal.

The unique stonewalled basin, near Chapel-en-le-Frith, is approaching the end of a 30-year restoration project. The restorers, which include British Waterways and the Inland Waterways Protection Society, hope to reopen the basin to boats at Easter.

But narrowboats will not be the only residents in the basin complex. A family of water voles has settled at Bugsworth - and, as part of the restoration work, new homes have been specially constructed for them.

An existing shallow embankment has been carefully converted into an ideal water vole habitat that includes soft banks for burrowing, lagoons and native waterside planting.

British Waterways ecologist Jason Leach explained: "By expanding the existing water vole habitat, we have provided them with an additional safe environment to live while the work is ongoing and afterwards as well. Water voles are an increasingly rare species, but by creating this area, we are aiming to encourage a sustainable population."

Water voles are the largest British species of vole, growing to about 30cm in length. They can be seen all year round living in holes by slow-moving water on rivers, streams and canals.

The creation of the vole habitat is the prelude to major leakage sealing works which will bring the basin complex back into use by narrowboats. The sealing work will use an innovative synthetic clay liner on the bed, and behind the existing historical walls, to substantially reduce water loss from the basin.

Bugsworth Basin, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, was once one of the largest inland ports in 19th century Britain. Limestone from nearby quarries would be brought down to waiting boats by tramway before being transported across the country. It was made a scheduled ancient monument in 1977.

Last updated: 22/10/2008