Dry stone wall 'leaky dams' used to reduce floods

Traditional dry stone walling skills are being used to install thousands of "leaky dams" in northern England in efforts to reduce flooding and create new habitats.

Landscapes for Water, a joint project between National Trust and Yorkshire Water, has built more than 2,000 dams out of a planned 3,500 in the South Pennines.

The wallers have been working in the uplands of Marsden Moor, West Yorkshire, to help hold back water, restore the blanket bog and reduce flooding downstream in Huddersfield and surrounding areas.

Jess Yorke, Landscapes for Water project lead, said: "It's a modern use for an ancient craft, and one that could save money and even save lives."

The locally-sourced stones are stacked in streams and rivers with strategic gaps to let water through.

Those involved admit they are more used to putting in partitions between fields or creating ornamental garden features, however they call the work a "powerful tool" helping the landscape.

"The idea was to create something that was in keeping with the landscape, and these are all experienced craftsmen who know how to make walls that will hold for years and with minimum impact on the environment," said contractor Jason Robinson, from Terra Firma Environmental.

The project, described as a green alternative to concrete flood barriers, create small pools for new wildlife habitat and lead to a rise in water tables, helping to reduce the risk of moorland fires.

The National Trust said natural flood management measures were becoming more widespread, particularly in areas where there has been a notable increase in annual rainfall.

"It's pretty unique and it's been a bit of a challenge," Robinson said.

"It gives the dams quite a nice aesthetic shape and it shows we are taking advantage of the stone we've got and using it in a way that's doing what the dams are supposed to do."

Yorke added: "Dams are being installed across our project areas from Todmordon in the north to Marsden in the south, where they can make a difference to many towns and villages downstream."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.