Stoney Middleton lies within the Peak District National Park, with Stoke Brook flowing through the centre of the village, joining the River Derwent to the east. In January 2007 a major incident occurred at a mine operated by Glebe Mines, upstream of Stoney Middleton, in which a tailings lagoon burst its banks. Huge volumes of water and fine sediment were washed downstream, through the village and into Stoke Brook and the Derwent, leaving a trail of devastation. Stoke Brook and the Derwent subsequently became smothered with tailings, leaving a thick layer of fine material on the river bed and adjacent flood plain. In places gravel beds acting as spawning grounds for fish and Brook Lamprey became armoured and resulted in a loss of breeding habitat for fish and other aquatic species. As part of the remediation process following this incident, Penny Anderson Associates (Consultant Ecologists) were commissioned by the Glebe Mines’ insurers to devise and implement a scheme to remove the tailings materials from the Brook and Derwent, without undue impact on the ecology and landscape of these rivers within the National Park.

Case Files and Uploads

17th November 2008	RRC Case Study Series - Stoke Brook Restoration, Riddling Technique
File :	stoke_brook_derwent_riddling.pdf (236 KB)