Landmark partnership agreement signed to create ambitious plan for a cleaner Mersey across Liverpool City Region.

Mersey Rivers Trust is delighted to have signed a partnership agreement with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and United Utilities to accelerate the clean-up of the River Mersey.  The agreement was announced today by the three partners at Spike Island in Widnes on the Mersey Estuary:

John Sanders, Co-Director of the Mersey Rivers Trust, praised the collaborative approach and its potential to build on decades of progress in improving the health of local waterways:

“The Mersey Rivers Trust is proud to be part of this pioneering partnership. Over the years, we’ve seen the Mersey recover from one of the most polluted rivers in Europe to a symbol of environmental regeneration. This agreement ensures that we continue to build on that success, helping to deliver the Government’s national water quality goals while making our local rivers cleaner and more accessible for everyone. Mersey Rivers Trust will continue its work engaging with a wide range of local community and charity partners in supporting the plan development".  

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said the agreement was an opportunity to demonstrate how national and local leadership can work together to deliver meaningful change:

“The River Mersey is part of who we are – a symbol of our past and our future. We’ve made huge progress in cleaning up the river over the last 30 years, but now it’s time to finish the job. By working together with United Utilities, the Mersey Rivers Trust and the Government, we will accelerate the clean-up of our great river and work towards my ambition of a discharge-free Mersey by 2030.

“This partnership is about delivering on the Government’s national plan while demonstrating how local leadership can help accelerate progress. If we can do this in the Liverpool City Region, we can set a standard for others to follow. Together, we can make the Mersey – and rivers across the country – cleaner, greener, and healthier for future generations.”

The Liverpool City Region’s approach is designed to support and enhance the delivery of the Government’s national targets, while bringing forward faster local action. Under the MOU, the partners will develop a five-year pipeline of projects focused on improving water quality, reducing flood risks, and enhancing biodiversity. These projects will also explore innovative nature-based solutions, such as sustainable drainage systems and natural flood management techniques, to reduce pressure on the sewer network and cut the risk of overflows.

The partnership will work to ensure that local rivers meet and exceed national standards under the Water Framework Directive, supporting the Government’s aim for rivers to achieve ‘Good’ ecological status. Additionally, the partners are committed to enhancing public access to the region’s waterways, creating cleaner and safer spaces for communities to enjoy.

Louise Beardmore, Chief Executive Officer of United Utilities, welcomed the agreement and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to working in partnership to deliver results:

“We have an ambitious plan, including the largest ever investment programme in water and wastewater infrastructure in a century, to transform the region’s waterways and enable the step change people want to see. Our investment to significantly reduce discharges from storm overflows and improve water quality builds on our legacy partnership and founding membership of the Mersey Basin Campaign, which showed what we can achieve when we work together.

“We care deeply about the River Mersey and will continue to do everything we can to ensure its healthy future. That’s why we are fully committed to working in partnership with the Liverpool City Region and Mersey Rivers Trust to deliver transformational improvements that support the Government’s goals for the water sector.”

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The Liverpool City Region’s initiative is not only a local project, but a demonstration of how regional action can help deliver national outcomes. By directly contributing to the targets set out in the Government’s Plan for the Water Sector, the partnership aims to serve as a model for other regions, showing how local leadership, industry collaboration, and community involvement can drive faster progress on water quality.

Mayor Rotheram praised the Government’s leadership on water quality and highlighted how local partnerships can help deliver faster results:

“The Government’s Plan for the Water Sector is a welcome step forward in protecting our rivers, and I want to make sure that Liverpool City Region is at the forefront of delivering that mission. This isn’t about pointing fingers – it’s about rolling up our sleeves and working together to solve the problem. With this agreement, we’re showing how national ambition, local leadership, and industry action can come together to deliver results faster, for people, communities, and nature.”

The agreement between the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, United Utilities, and the Mersey Rivers Trust will also include a joint programme of water management projects in collaboration with local authorities, developers, and community organisations.

These projects will align with the Government’s objectives for reducing pollution, protecting habitats, and increasing the resilience of water infrastructure to climate change impacts.

We are delighted to announce the publication of this fantastic new book by Dr David Solomon, sponsored by Mersey Rivers Trust. The book explores the history of fish and fisheries of the freshwater reaches of the River Mersey and its tributaries, and the environmental factors that have shaped them.  It follows the development of the fisheries over the past thousand years, both for food and recreation, and the people and organisations who have been involved in them.  The decline of fisheries as a direct casualty of the industrial revolution, and the recovery over the past 75 years, is a fascinating study of relevance to all those with an interest in fish, water quality and the industrial and social history of Greater Manchester.

The book is illustrated with numerous etchings, photographs, drawings and maps, and contains a wealth of fascinating facts and tales.

David Solomon is a retired fisheries scientist with a wide range and knowledge and experience of UK fisheries over the past sixty years.

Hardback, 172 pp, ISBN 9780957427631  Price £20

Interesting matters covered include:-

• How fish arrived in the Mersey.
• A detailed assessment of fishing in the Mersey and Irwell in the early 19^th century.
• The deterioration and recovery of water quality over the past 200 years.
• The virtual eradication of fish throughout most of the catchment in the 19^th century, and their reappearance and recovery in the past seventy years.
• The problems posed by industrial pollution and domestic sewage in such a densely-populated area, and how they were addressed.
• The evolution of angling destinations as fish became scarce locally, and the developing rail network opened up more distant locations.
• The fascinating history of match fishing in the River Weaver.
• The disappearance and return of salmon.
• The management and recovery of water quality and fisheries at Salford Quays.
• The recent development of a top-class river fishery for very large brown trout, some weighing well over ten pounds.

How to purchase a copy of this book

Email Mersey Rivers Trust at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will provide purchase options.

Copies are also available direct from the publisher, Fluvial Books, for £20 (postage free within the UK).  To purchase a copy please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will email you a pro-forma invoice with details of making payment by BACS.  As soon as we receive payment, a copy of the book will be dispatched by post.  If you would like a copy posted overseas let us know and will supply a pro-forma invoice reflecting the additional postage cost.

Are you passionate about protecting and improving rivers?  

Mersey Rivers Trust is looking for a Senior Project & Partnerships Manager to lead environmental projects, drive partnerships, and manage a small team delivering real change across the Upper Mersey and Irwell river catchments in Greater Manchester. You'll work with key stakeholders, secure funding, oversee project delivery, and make a tangible impact on our rivers. 

If you have strong leadership, partnership and project management skills, we want to hear from you!

Location: Greater Manchester (Home-based with travel across Greater Manchester)

Salary: £37,000 - £39,000

Contract: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: 28th March 2025

Interviews: w/c 31st March 2025

Interested?  Please email your CV (no more than two sides of A4) and a covering letter (no more than two sides of A4), outlining how you meet the requirements of the person specification and job description to the Operations & Delivery Director, Paul Henbrey: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More information:

Your work will focus on the Upper Mersey and Irwell river catchments, where the rivers that form the Mersey have their source on the moorlands of the Peak District & Pennine hills, flowing through the towns of Greater Manchester to the cities of Manchester and Salford and into the Manchester Ship Canal.

Your role will be to develop projects designed to improve the health of watercourses in the Upper Mersey and Irwell catchments, contribute to reducing flood risk, and engage communities in caring for their local river. You will lead a team of two project managers, and work closely with a wide range of partners, stakeholders and communities (local authorities, other eNGOs, businesses, local community groups and volunteers) to deliver these projects. 

Much of our work is delivered in partnership with others; your relationships will be so close that it will often seem like you are colleagues in the same organisation.  You will host the Upper Mersey Catchment Partnership, bringing key partners together to plan and deliver improvements to the rivers across the catchment (Rivers Tame, Goyt, upper Mersey, Bollin). 

This is an exciting time for us with multiple projects underway or in development.  For example, we have just received a large donation to fund a 4-year project to transform the River Tame, from its source to Stockport, where it joins the River Goyt to form the River Mersey. Part of your role will be to use this donation as a basis to leverage further funding to expand our river improvement programme.

Key experience we are looking for you to bring to this role:

• Working collaboratively with a varied range of partners and stakeholders
• Leading and supporting a dedicated project team
• Designing and delivering projects
• Managing project budgets
• Writing funding bids

Key competencies:

• Clear and effective communication skills, orally and in writing
• Ability and willingness to listen, understand others’ perspectives and build consensus
• Ability to plan and organise a team’s activities to deliver successful outcomes
• Capacity to respond flexibly to changes in circumstances and adapt projects accordingly
• Understanding of environmental processes, ideally relating to the water environment, and the application of that understanding in project development and design

A full role profile is available on request or if you have any questions about the role, please email Paul Henbrey: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As we begin a new year, we take a look back at the projects and achievements in 2024 in the Alt Crossens catchment. Issue 3 of the Alt Crossens newsletter can be found below:

Alt Crossens Newsletter 3, January 2025