Grid Ref: SK965682 - SK967691

Status:     Site of Nature Conservation Importance (Lincolnshire Trust) 

This site is composed of a narrow (1-2m) drain which runs alongside the River Witham, together with an area of adjacent rough grassland and tall herbage. The site has been designated as Critical Natural Asset for the following reasons:

1) The site is one of 13 wetland sites in Lincoln. The site has an assemblage of aquatic species that suggest little or no pollution. The site is one of eleven in Lincoln supporting unimproved/semi- improved neutral grassland habitat. Given the linear nature of the site its total area as well as that of its habitats is unknown. The current extent of un- and semi- improved grassland older than five years in Lincolnshire is 48,860ha (est.), a loss since 1938 of 74%.

2) The site is part of the Witham Valley Green Wedge and is an important component in the complex of wetland sites within the Witham Valley.

3) The site supports the following rare and endangered species:

Trifid bur-marigold    Bidens tripartite

The bur-marigolds are plants of lake and pond margins, ditch and stream sides. The species has decreased  nationally and severely so  in  Lincolnshire where  it was formally  localised  but widespread. It has declined in Lincolnshire from fourteen sites in 1988 to just three in 1995 (two of which are in Lincoln).

Landscape Value

Linear water feature which adds to the diversity and interest of the landscape within the proposed Witham Valley Green Wedge and to the enjoyment of the riverside footpaths by the public for informal recreation.