A LONG-TERM vision for environmental improvements throughout the Ribble Valley has been boosted thanks to a series of public workshops to see how much people care about improving water quality.

The workshops, run jointly by the World Wildlife Federation and the Environment Agency, were held in Clitheroe, Burnley, Preston and Wigan and aimed to find out how people thought the River Ribble environment could be improved.

Local people and organisations felt that the vision of the Ribble Valley must include environmental improvements in the quality and quantity of the water and habitats in local rivers including the Hodder, Calder, Douglas and Darwen.

A document will now be produced which will help guide and implement the new European legislation on managing rivers that applies to all UK rivers, including the Ribble.

Participants also agreed that public access to the waterways for recreation was very important as well as urban and rural regeneration.

Rob Oates, rivers co-ordinator for WWF, said: "This is a great boost for nature conservation in the Ribble Valley, a united call for a better environment means that as the new legislation is brought in wildlife and the natural landscape should always be highly valued."