RANGERS and volunteers are set to descend on Penkford Bridge to clean up the troubled waters of the Sankey canal.

The environmental crusaders will tackle a tangle of reeds and bullrushes to ensure the waterway can flow freely again as part of a week-long clean up campaign.

Colin Greenall, a volunteer from Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS), which is behind the project, is urging members of the public to help revitalise the canal.

He said: "It is a section of the canal which runs underneath the road bridge on Common Road and it is all clogged up with reeds. The surrounding area is also in need of litter picking to clear the channels."

It is hoped the rubbish and vegetation collected on the October 11 expedition will fill a skip, provided by the borough council. Green group Stream Care have weighed in as well with gloves and hard hats for volunteers.

Teachers and amateur ecologists are set to participate in the Sankey Now week of environmental events.

An education forum is open to the borough's teachers at Penkford Technology School, Wharf Road, for those who are interested in natural history classes on October 6.

The school is also hosting a bulb-planting and pond-dipping event three days later at their outdoor eco-classroom.

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