Otters are now a regular sight on the Rainton Burn, as are trout and freshwater shrimp
A stream where otters, fish and birds have returned to in recent years is like “looking into an aquarium”, says the man whose garden it runs through. When Dave Ford moved into his home in Houghton-le-Spring 20 years ago, the only creature he saw on the Rainton Burn was the occasional duck.
In fact, Dave was more likely to be clearing rubbish from the stream and his garden than appreciating the wildlife. However, two decades on and otters, trout and heron can regularly be spotted on the burn.
Dave told ChronicleLive: “I first started seeing the fish maybe ten years ago. Gradually, there were more of them.
“It’s quite interesting, they come late spring and early autumn and they just suddenly appear. About five or six years ago I saw the first otter, which believe it or not, was pulling an adult male mallard under the water – they’ll eat anything they can get a hold of!”
77-year-old Dave puts the return of the wildlife down to the improvement in water quality in the stream. Several years ago, he was approached by Northumbrian Water about putting a data-gathering monitor in the stream in his garden.
The solar-powered monitors, which are around the size of a small suitcase, measures a series of elements in the watercourse every 15 minutes and help teams to respond quicker to any problems or issues. So far, 31 monitors have been installed in areas including Houghton-le-Spring and Rainton, and over the next four years, 390 more will be deployed in locations from North Northumberland to North Yorkshire.
Otters on the Rainton Burn in Houghton(Image: Supplied)
It is hoped that the scheme will help protect local rivers, streams and becks; and that in turn that will encourage wildlife to return – as appears to have happened in the Rainton Burn. Dave continued: “It’s fantastic, I’ve always been interested in nature.
“In fact, I waste an awful lot of time just standing looking because the stream is quite shallow, but there are two parts which are quite deep and that’s where the fish gather. On a sunny day, it’s like looking into an aquarium.”
Northumbrian Water chiefs say the “vital” data gathered in Dave’s garden helps them understand the quality of the stream, as they monitor for any impact from storm overflows as well as issues like misconnections or local pollution from other sources. The further rollout of monitors is a £51m investment that comes as part of the company’s wider £1.7b planned spend over the next five years to improve the wastewater network and health of the local environment.
Richard Warneford, wastewater director at Northumbrian Water, said: “It’s fantastic to see the wildlife returning in these areas. We’re very passionate about the environment, and we’re really proud to be part of this project along with the communities in our region, as well as our partners.”