Weed Cutting

Each summer season the Environment Agency (EA) permits three ‘free’ weedcuts on the Rivers Test, Itchen and their tributaries, by arrangement with the Test and Itchen Association. These occur in June, July and August. Dates of the cuts are published early in the year. These give the exact number of days where cutting is permitted and then the clear down days after each cut. The clear down allows hung up weed to be pushed downstream. The EA controls the weed rack North of Romsey where cut weed is extracted from the river. South of Romsey the cut weed is caught in a weed net on the Broadlands Estate, it is again extracted from the river.

Weed has been cut by hand for centuries. It can help to reduce flooding and opens up clean gravel beds in fast-flowing water. These areas are important to native brown trout as spawning sites.

Aquascience undertakes sensitive weed cuts on various locations of the main Test and also on the Bourne Rivulet, one of its many tributaries.

We use Austrian scythes and bar or checkerboard cut, ensuring plenty of weed habitat is left to support the macrophyte ecosystem.