It may look very pretty, early summer in full flower but it is damaging the river bank year on year.

Hymalayan Balsam … undermining our river banks.

It may look pretty but did you know that Himalayan Balsam is a threat to our fishing?

The problem is that it out-competes ground cover plants which help to bind the banks together and then when it dies back the banks are left open to increased erosion and in turn that erosion can cause the kind of fine sediment in the river that prevents spawning.

So, what can we do? What can YOU do?

The balsam is growing very quickly now, what we really need is to remove as much as possible before it seeds, and every little does help.

Ideally, pull the plants by the roots, snap the stems just above the roots and stack them to decay away from the water. That said, any plant removed is helpful so please, if you can spare a few minutes each time you are on the river bank to remove some Himalayan Balsam. If we can get a little help from dog walkers, ramblers, anyone on the river bank then every little really does help, every clump removed is a piece of river bank given a better chance.

We cannot control the rest of the river, but we can protect our own little stretch, maybe we can get other clubs to join the battle in future.

Thank you.