Removing floating pennywort from the River Soar

Floating pennywort is a highly invasive plant which grows up to 20cm per day.

Its dominating presence can smother habitats, block water flow, crowd out native plants and take oxygen from fish and insects. It also causes major problems for boaters and other craft users, with its long, fleshy stems tangling in propellers and oars.

Like Japanese knotweed, floating pennywort also has the ability to grow from minuscule fragments, making its removal incredibly difficult and expensive.

250 tonnes in five weeks

Together with Leicester City Council, and with support from The Rothen Group and funding from Severn Trent Water, we excavated an incredible 250 tonnes from the River Soar, near Abbey Park.

This huge removal project saw 7km of waterway cleared between Leicester Marina to Evans Weir, south of Abbey Park, in five weeks. Specialised weed conver boats were used, which have various attachments such as rakes, cutters and baskets that help scoop out the weed.

All of the floating pennywort was disposed of on site, which helped reduce significant carbon emissions and cost.

How you can join the fight against invasive species

If you spend time on our canals and rivers, one of the most important things you can do is to remember to Check, Clean, Dry. These steps help stop the spread of harmful plants and animals to a new area, and should always be done before exiting a waterway - even if you are moving to another spot just a few miles away.