A fleet of weed harvesters are helping to clean up the waterways in north-west England.
The Canal & River Trust is spending more than £150,000 to use machines called Truxors to remove aquatic weeds like duckweed, floating pennywort and azolla, which when left unchecked can cause problems for boats.
The weeds can also starve underwater plants of light and reduce levels of oxygen needed by fish and other wildlife, and can have a damaging impact on kingfishers and otters.
Kieran Howlett, from the Canal & River Trust, said managing the weeds was becoming more challenging but the charity was determined to protect the “wonderful waterways”.
With warmer summers and longer growing seasons, these fast-growing plants spread quickly through the canal network and can rapidly form a thick green carpet across the water’s surface.
Described as “a bit like floating tractors” by the Canal & River Trust, the specialist machines cut and collect weeds from the water, helping the team remove about 30 tonnes each week.
Speaking during a clean-up operation in Wigan, Mike Bell, a waterways officer at the trust, said: “When it’s built up this much it just gets wrapped around the propeller of the boat and then sometimes it gets stuck and they can’t get past.
“That’s why this is really important that we get it out so that the boats can get through and carry on.”