TWO popular reservoir sites near Huddersfield have been given an £80,000 makeover.

Landowners Yorkshire Water have carried out a major renovation campaign on footpaths around Ingbirchworth and Scout Dike.

They hope they will encourage more people to enjoy walks in the areas this summer.

The two reservoir sites now boast 2.5km of refurbished footpaths, including 1.5km with access for all.

It follows work by the company to open up previously hard-to-access areas and give nature lovers even more freedom to roam what are fast becoming two of West Yorkshire's most popular beauty spots.

Located next to each other, both Ingbirchworth and Scout Dike are known for their brown trout fisheries, as well as their burgeoning birdlife.

The next few weeks will see species such as chiffchaff and willow warbler take up residence at both sites for the start of the nesting season.

In 2008, a fish pass was also installed at Ingbirchworth to enable fish to swim upstream between the two reservoirs, with recent research by the Environment Agency showing that this has already given fish populations in the area a huge boost.

Since 2000, Yorkshire Water has invested more than £1m at its 70 reservoir sites across the region, opening-up some of Yorkshire’s most picturesque areas to the public, encouraging a growing number of recreational activities, from walking to horse riding, through to fishing.

Alastair Harvey, country and recreation manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Over the last ten years we’ve created miles of easy access paths at our reservoir sites, opening up stunning areas of land and providing members of the public with the perfect opportunity to take in incredible vistas and get up close to a huge array of wildlife.

“Both Ingbirchworth and Scout Dike are popular sites but the going was certainly less than easy in certain areas when walking the site, particularly following heavy rain.

“The new paths mean that more people than ever can enjoy the delights that both sites have to offer, without worrying about getting filthy in the process.”

Yorkshire Water has created a downloadable walking guide which highlights the sites available to customers, as well as providing detailed walking routes which cater for ramblers of all abilities.

The walks can be found at:

www.yorkshirewater.com/yorkshirewalks