Helicopter drafted in by Yorkshire Water to help revive heather at Wessenden moor

Jun 19 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

YORKSHIRE Water is trying to restore thousands of hectares of countryside – and has turned its attention to Meltham.

The company took a helicopter up to the moor at Wessenden to transport bags of heather brash into position at Black Hill.

The heather was dropped onto the moor, ready to be spread out by volunteers.

The heather restoration is part of Yorkshire Water’s plan to restore flora and fauna across land it owns.

So far, 9,500 hectares of countryside have had plant life and wildlife habitats restored.

The scheme has been praised by Natural England, the body which advises the Government on how to enhance England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Yorkshire Water has been working with Natural England and the RSPB to restore 85% of its most ecologically important land.

The restoration scheme was launched in 2000 as part of a public service agreement with the Government.

The agreement states that, by 2010, 95% of all SSSIs in the UK should be in a ‘favourable or recovering condition’. There are 4,000 SSSIs in England.

Yorkshire Water owns large areas of moorland, which has been left damaged by air pollution, wildfires and over-grazing.