"Where fish dare not swim" ran the headline about the River Irwell in the Manchester Evening News back in 1984.
It was one of many as this periodical has charted the rise and fall (both literal and metaphorical) of this water course since its inception in 1868. Much of it made for grim reading back then, with multiple drownings, several murders, and countless sewage and pollution events. The only relief came from the lucky rescues by local hero Mark Addy and others. As such it’s a waterway that I’ve seen referred to as “once internationally famous, or infamous as the epitome of river pollution,” by North West Water.
While I hope that it was never so well-known for being disgusting outside the boundaries of Greater Manchester (where it ends) and Lancashire (where it begins), it's certainly played a huge part in my life. I lived next to it when I was 19, in Castle Irwell student digs and then I worked next to the ship canal at Mediacity for nine years. After defecting to the River Mersey for eight years, I once again live next to this river in North Manchester and watching it get polluted over and over again is truly depressing.
Even though fishing resumed in the 1970s, pollution seems to be on the rise again. It was 1850 when salmon were last recorded and they haven’t been back or reintroduced since. This is despite a big push in the 80s to properly clean up the Irwell. While it did improve, like so many natural areas in the UK, a lack of environmental policing meant it wouldn’t last.
According to The Guardian, there were 12,000 sewage discharges into the Irwell Valley (which houses the Croal and Irwell) in 2023. This gives it the shocking title of having the highest rate of spills for all rivers in England when you account for its size. A University of Manchester study has linked this untreated sewage to the accumulation of microplastics in riverbeds, making this filthy practice even more troubling.
Some pollution events - like multiple incidents of the river being covered in foam, have never been explained. There have also been several incidents of mass fish deaths for reasons ranging from chemical spills to a diesel leak from a petrol station. In 2024, anglers complained when a United Utilities pipe released raw sewage into the Irwell on the first day of the fishing season.
It was reported in the M.E.N. that one of those hoping for a day of fishing said: “you can’t enjoy the river like that.” Therein lies the problem for the Irwell - people are so used to it being in a sorry state that it isn’t enjoyed like other water courses. I understand why, as it was particularly grim when I lived at Castle Irwell, so much so that we used to joke that only the stray foxes would go down there.
Sadly, it has always been a place to dispose of things we don’t need - knives, drug paraphernalia, safes, bodies, stolen bags and other things too awful to imagine. Its close ties with criminality mean that it has been the centre of conspiracy theories that I won’t repeat lest I legitimise them. While there are sections that are enjoyed - like the ship canal at Salford Quays and Burrs Country Park in Bury, not many would pack a picnic and head down to the Irwell.
In the Lake District, both residents and tourists have been up in arms about sewage releases affecting beauty spots like Lake Windermere and we need the same advocation for the Irwell. While it may not have the same picturesque settings as other English rivers, it winds through some of Greater Manchester’s most intriguing industrial areas. Even though it is sadly not all walkable, there is so much history along its banks - from old mills to locally-themed artworks.
There is also more wildlife than many people realise. I frequently take my toddler to see the ducks, but there is so much more than that hidden amongst the stones, ripples and foliage of this water body. Herons, kingfishers, dippers, Canada geese, goosanders, cormorants, swans, lapwings and goldeneye are just some of the species that make their home here. While this may sound good enough, with a bit of help it could undoubtedly be much more biodiverse or have greater numbers of existing species.
Greater Manchester’s wildlife can and does live in its most industrial areas, but we need to green the city by replanting native species to give it a fighting chance. The River Irwell has been abused since the Industrial Revolution and it hasn’t ever been given a real chance to return since then. The geologist Hugh Miller described the Irwell as a “flood of liquid manure” in 1862 and while things may be better, it's difficult not to draw the parallels while sewage still flows freely through the city.
Every depleted natural area in the UK needs an environmental guardian or council to have a voice, as well as someone to fight for them. From removing the traffic cones to campaigning against pollution, there is something that all of us can do for the Irwell. Though often taken for granted, we should nurture it as the natural space that it is, with a future that could be great if we give it a chance.
Let’s make the river a place where fish dare to swim again.
