THAMES Water has called on Banbury to clean up its riverside and make the River Cherwell a more attractive feature.

The call came at a progress meeting on a new pipeline, being installed to improve the flow of the river during dry summer months.

Liz Sale, Thames Water's community liaison officer, said: "We need to start discussing how the riverside through Banbury can be improved. We must engage with Banbury Town Council and others about clearing the river banks and tidying up the area.

"There is great potential for the river to become an attraction for residents and visitors, especially where it flows through Spiceball Park"

Mayor John Donaldson, who visited the pipe installation site on Friday, said: "It would be good to get the community involved in tidying up the river. It is something that might benefit the Banbury in Bloom project.

"We will need to assess what the community wants, and ask people to put some ideas forward.

"The pipeline is a good start as it will improve the water flow and help wildlife."

Thames Water is spending £2.5m on improvements to the Cherwell.

The pipeline now being installed will run from the Spital Farm sewage treatment works in Grimsbury to the north of Spiceball Park and will increase water flow during dry periods to encourage wildlife and plant growth.

The project, which will pump ten million litres of water a day into the river, should be finished by January next year.

The move was announced in February this year and was welcomed by the Environment Agency and local anglers.

Treated effluent from the sewage works now runs into the river near Banbury United football stadium, but the new one-and-a-half mile pipeline will carry the treated water upstream.

Mrs Sale said: "The Cherwell is often reduced to a trickle during summer months causing problems for fish and plant life.

"This scheme will add water when necessary, and it should make a huge difference to the river and riverside environment."

The water company's project manager, Probal Majumder, said: "We will create new habitats with reed beds and other wetland plants. This will benefit birds, such as nesting warblers, and provide cover for fish and other freshwater creatures."

He said the work was not a reaction to the current drought, but a long-term measure that had been first mooted five years ago.

Environment Agency officer Tim Fediw said: "The Environment Agency and Thames Water have looked at ways of ensuring public supply and improving the environment. This scheme fits the bill.

He assured: "Purity of the added water is not a problem. It will be clean water but we will monitor it on a regular basis to make sure oxygen levels are right and that there is no pollution."