Kirkstall Abbey: Leeds residents furious that 'beautiful' river channel has become 'a mess' filled with rats

The complaints relate to Kirkstall Abbey goit, which is an artificial channel by the side of Kirkstall Abbey Park running by the River Aire. The goit was established so that water could be used to power the nearby mills and dates back to the Victorian period.

Tony Robbins, chairman of Kirkstall Valley Action Group, said that the flow of water towards the goit was cut off around 20 years ago when the sluice gates – which control the amount of water being let into the goit from the River Aire – were closed. He said that since then he and other residents have campaigned constantly for water to be allowed back into the goit.

Mr Robbins said that residents were told that the sluice gates were closed for maintenance years ago but have still not been opened. He said that meetings have been held with members of Leeds City Council and MPs, but added: “They have promised that the flow will get going but it’s never been put back as it should be.

"When I first moved here as a young lad in the 1970s you would go down and it was a fast, flowing thing. It was beautiful to look at and the wildlife was phenomenal. There were herons, kingfishers, swans and you could see fish swimming. But all that has basically disappeared. Now it’s just stagnant water, dirty mud and weeds.”

Ongoing work to build a flood alleviation scheme by the River Aire has resulted in a pipe being fitted towards the goit, but Mr Robbins said: “The issue has been brought up again recently because they said they were going to bring the goit in as part of the scheme to take in surplus water.

"They have put in these pipes in but that means the river has to get to a certain height before it takes water through. That’s fine, but what about when the river’s not in flood? It’s just going to remain a dried up, muddy spot with rats and insects everywhere. That’s what it’s going to look like for 90% of the time.

“I don’t understand what they’re doing because water should be flowing there constantly. They’ve made it worse because they’ve concreted the whole thing up and fed it with this pipe instead of fixing the gates so that it can be controlled like it was when it was first built. This way it’ll just keep getting silted up and having things thrown in it.

"If the goit was being used properly then it will take millions of gallons of water spread out and it will automatically lower the river level.”

He added that there is generally “just a trickle” of water going through the goit. He said: "It’s just a shame. You can still see the edges of the goit where the water used to flow but now there’s just a couple of foot wide gully going through this desolate area. It’s a mess. It’s an absolute disgrace.

“It’s part of Kirkstall’s heritage. There’s basically nothing left of the the old village. If nothing’s done about it then it will just cease to exist and will completely dry up.

"It’s the councillors over the years that have ignored us and let it get like this. They could’ve done what was needed but they haven’t. I feel they’ve totally let us all down.”

Fellow Kirstall resident Stuart Long has also been campaigning and urging people to report their concerns over the goit, saying: “The goit has been left to dry up by the Flood Alleviation Works, causing an environmental disaster for wildlife in the area.”

In response, a Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of ongoing concerns regarding the low water levels within Kirkstall goit. Our ecologists have carried out further investigations and can confirm that no wildlife will be affected by the low water levels. The goit has experienced low flow several times in the past, associated with the historic sluice gates upstream, this is an issue that pre-dates the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme Phase 2 (FAS2) works.”

They went on to say that the Flood Alleviation Scheme 2 (FAS2) has been designed to have “no impact on the levels within the goit when completed” and that the works will be adaptable to allow “goit flow improvements”.

They said: “We have always strived to maintain the flow to the goit during construction. A temporary diversion pipe has been installed within the working area, to allow water to flow through the goit. This diversion pipe was installed as designed, using data on historic water levels.”

However, they said that due to “unseasonably low water levels and the slow flowing water around the inlet of the diversion pipe” it had not been working as effectively as hoped.

They said that to maintain waterflow during construction they would pump more water into the goit to supplement the water flowing through the diversion pipe and later lower the diversion pipe to increase the flow. The work to reposition the diversion pipe will take place on the week commencing May 8.

They said: “The Leeds FAS2 team will continue to monitor the goit and the solutions to maintain flow. They will also work with ecologists to ensure that no wildlife is endangered as a result of the works.”